Kid Smokes In Church, Get's Jesus Christ

Tonight a 15 year old boy smoked a cigarette in our church. As the youth minister I decided to wait until after the lesson to confront the young boy about the incident. During the point of the message where salvation would be preached, he just got up and walked out of the youth room and came back in when the message was concluding.After all the services I went and talked to him one on one about the incident, holy spirit opened his heart, and we sat down on the altar as he poured out his request for Christ to come into his life.If God had never allowed that boy to smoke in His house, I would have never had that one on one talk with him. Thank God for teachable moments...thank God for his sovereign will...I wish all my kids would smoke ;-) hahaha......Praise be to the FatherO by the way...I forgot... about a year and a month ago, back in 2004, I met this same kid in a city park when he offered me a cigarette and in return received the gospel of Jesus Christ. It took a year and a month for the seeds to grow...but man did they grow!!Praise God!DOI Peter 4:2

I saw a teenager wear a black t-shirt with santanic stuff and had black finger nails, by the way this was a boy. Someone approached him AFTER church outside and gently and lovingly spoke to him. My friend didnt tell him to take off the shirt but as they were talking the boy began weeping, and took off his shirt and turned it inside out. Then they embraced each other!

Im sorry my brothers, but I have to disagree. I think that when you first saw this boy smoking in the sanctuary in the presence of God you were moved by the Spirit to stop it immediately. I believe that so many time we compromise the Holiness of God and his presence that we walk on eggshells around congregant because of our lack of spiritual stature.You say that this boy is now saved but you make now mention of his pilgrimage. This boy now has to make a daily desicion to surrender to Christ. Many people come to Christ crying and sobby and weepy. That doesnt mean a thing if the reason they feel guilty is because they have offended you or their parrent but have to understanding of how they have offended a just a righteous God.Where is our Holy Disatisfaction with our current walk and a move from Glory to Glory?Will someone stand up for God and be different from the world.So many times after youth prayer meetings or services the kids go right outside and start speaking of worldly matters like video games or movies. THEY WERE JUST IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD. And seemingly it had no effect on the society of the church.

I believe that church is the body of Christ.....is that not a biblical definition?The body of Christ should be a Holy place....do you not agree?Somehow, somewhere along the line people changed the church to a place that where nonbelievers get saved.We are to go out to the non believers and evangelize.....is that not a biblical statement?Then we bring them to the gathering of believers.We moved so far away from the initial set up of the New Testament church we see things all backwards sometimes.Think about it brother... I want to bring glory to the sacrifice of Jesus and I honor that sacrifice by taking time to evangelize, pray for the sick and witness of the saving grace and love of Christ. Once that have been drawn by the Spirit and they have forsaken their sin then I believe that they will be drawn into the body.Unfortunately we have compromised so much that our compromised standards today now we count as reverence.God Bless,Desi, Jr.

Just wondering brother,Does your church do alter calls and when people respond your church tells them they are saved?

Hello!Yes, our congregation does altar calls and when someone repents of their sins and asks Christ for salvation we let them know that they are in God's hands and now have salvation.If you are looking to make a Reidhead point with the 4 minute conversion, hand shake, "congratulations brother your saved" - don't worry...it is not like that.I do have this to say. Since when have we become so judgmental of people's salvation??? If a person repents of their sin and asks for salvation, where do we get the nerve to think they did it wrong? or did not mean it?I found myself doing this as well last night before the joy of the Lord came over me. I think we may be inching more toward Pharisetical hearts instead of the New Testament heart because of the extreme we face today.In His,DOI Pet 4:2

Ahh, I did not put this on the last post:I have no convictions about a lost soul's cigarette smoke defiling the Holiness of God.However...if you want to make the building of a congregation a place of holiness (which I do believe should be consecrated for God's purpose), I believe you need to confront more issues with the redeemed.The stench of false worship is far worse than any Marlboro. Or the wandering thoughts during the sermon that He planted in the pastor's heart. Of course...we haven't even dipped into the issues that great men like Ravenhill, Cambell, Tozer, etc. preach about on this site.In His, DOI Pet 4:2

I completely agree with you brother.There should be a holiness about the body of Christ that was exactly my point in my ante-previous point.And I am glad to hear that you have heard Ten Shekels and Ravenhill and Tozer. Good for you (I'm not being sarcastic).All I am saying is that we have strayed from faith of the Spirit to perform His Holy work. And we begin to tell people they are saved. So when I hear stories like this that a kid was smoking in church and now he is saved yet we have not seen him walk his pilgrimage, and he has yet to move in the grace of sanctification I think we are being premature in insinuating that people are saved just because they say something with their mouths. This is why discipleship is so important. People need to realize the after that make their "Pledge" for Christ they are going to have to mail in their "Check" to make the "Pledge" a reality.Thats why churches have the "Revolving Door" problem. People make proclaimations of faith yet their lives are not different because of lack of disciplship. We are focusing on getting people to the alter when we should be focusing on discipling people and letting the Spirit draw them to the alter.John 1:13 says..... not by blood or by the will of the flesh or by the will of man but by God.We have our grubby little hands all over salvation and our job is only to be witnesses by our example and preaching a true Gospel. We must have faith that the Spirit will do the rest.God Bless,Desi, Jr.

Hi DesiJr... believe that church is the body of Christ.....is that not a biblical definition?The body of Christ should be a Holy place....do you not agree?Somehow, somewhere along the line people changed the church to a place that where nonbelievers get saved.I agree with what you are saying about the need to bring evangelism outside of the walls of a "Church" building. You're right -- somewhere along the line, the focus of modern evangelism became concerned with "bringing people to Church." But you might also want to remember that -- somewhere along the line, the concept of "Church" also changed. It became a "place where Christians gathered to worship two or three (or even more) times a week." The early Church met daily in their homes and on streets (or in places like "Solomon's Colonade"). But somewhere along the line, the Church began building temples -- and began relying on those physical temples. Some even began calling those "temples" (or "sanctuaries") a "holy place." But such a building is no more "holy" than a certain mountain where Moses received the tablets of the Law. Yet many modern believers treat a Church building like it is "holy ground." There is a wonderful book available called "The Cross and the Switchblade." It tells about a simple country preacher who went to the streets of New York City to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the most dangerous gangs in the city. As a result, many of those gang members surrendered their lives to the Lord, and many are now preaching the Gospel.This same preacher, Dave Wilkerson, wrote another book called "Twelve Angels from Hell." In this book, Dave Wilkerson says something like, "The gutter is my pulpit..." Today, there are so many believers that have turned their local "churches" into temples. A "church building" is not a temple. Your body is a temple. I have traveled to the indigenous Tarahumara of the rugged and remote Sierra Madre Occidental mountains of Chihuahua, Mexico. The believers there met in caves and beneath trees to worship the Lord together. Often, there were Tarahumara that would come that did not know the Lord. Sometimes, they brought "questionable" objects and habits to these assemblies. But none were turned away. These things were no match for the Spirit of the Lord! Consequently, the local Church there has grown to several hundred believers. I believe that as a true Church, we need to forsake our "traditions of men" (including some "godly men"). If we do, we might have a much better opportunity to reach this world. Week after week, our modern "sanctuaries" hold meetings where they are run in much the same way (with similar setup and rules) as a Broadway play. Preachers warn women to remove their crying babies so that they do not "quench the Spirit of the Lord." If a crying baby (or cell phone, or unskilled musician, etc...) can stop the Lord from moving in the life of another -- then something is wrong. The Lord doesn't need our special lighting, music, or "spiritual atmosphere." Yes, there needs to be propriety (a decency and order) in our meetings. But let us not forget who it is that we are meeting. In the past, the Lord has met with men as they marched with murderous zeal to Damascus, rode in chariots, mended their fishing nets and even while one hung dying on a cross (next to Jesus). We mustn't sit with a suspicious attitude when someone comes to Christ. Rather we should rejoice with the angels in Heaven! :-)

My brothers in Christ,I believe somewhere along the line we got a little sidetracked here. I am sorry if I was unclear in my posts.The i was moved to respond to the smoking issue because of the compromising that takes place.Every generation gets more and more bold to be more and more disrespectful of not only worldly things but things of Christ as well.This is not about the building. I never meant to say that the building was Holy. I was trying to say the gathering itself is Holy. Thats what makes it the body of Christ the believers in the gathering.I myself make alter calls in my home study group, plus my church does alter calls on Sunday. I believe it is a great way to establish relationships between believers and non-believers, in order to begin the descipleship process.But I would never consider anyone who responds to an alter call saved. I would never tell any other person that he is saved. That is not me to judge. That is only for God the Father to judge. And by telling people that we are giving them false security.So when you say that someone was smoking and then he is a child of God, I just put up a yellow flag and say, well brother,how long have you witnessed his pilgrimage. Have you seen him not only speak but move in a way that exemplifies someone who is walking with Christ? And if you have he is a Christian, or a disciple, or whatever you want to call him, but certainly not saved, yet.The point of my posting was you calling him saved and waiting until after the meeting to approach him. Instead I believe you should have paused the meeting for 30 seconds. Explain to him that smoking is not allowed at the meeting but you would love his attendance there. And move on with the meeting. If he didnt come to the Lord right then and there, its not your job. You stay true to the gospel and move forward. What do you think Jesus did when he went to the temple and saw people in sin at the temple? He kicked them out.When they repented they were allowed back I'm sure.we have grown soft to sin. I, like you, wish that ever last person who ever lived makes it to heaven. So my obligation to Christ is to witness and evangelize and disciple men. But at the same time without compromise.Did Jesus lower his standards for the Rich Young Ruler? No, he was sad that he couldn't forsake his sin but he didnt lower his standards.I love you guys,Desi, Jr.

I'm not an advocate for smoking in buildings (anywhere for that matter), but I'm wondering if the ones who Jesus threw out were hypocrites or blatant sinners?I wonder if these verses go along the same lines.1Cr 5:9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 1Cr 5:10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 1Cr 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. What does everyone think?

My brother,I think the texts you site bring to mind that we are not to compromise the body of Christ with people who have made a desicion to be slaves to sin instead of Christ.Now if an unrepentant heart shows up to a service by all means don't kick him out.....but do not water down the gospel so this heathen won't be offended, but instead move forward with the preaching for the believers, and if he sticks around then we should move forward with a call for him to repent.Instead the body is to move out into the world and preach righteousness by word and example and bring new believers into the body of Christ.I think this is how the "seeker-sensitive" movement has grown to such power. We are preaching a gospel in the body to people who are not believers. When then are believers going to hear preachers of righteousness calling for holy living if the whole time pastors are preaching messages trying to appeal to the lost in the congregation. Messages for the lost should be preached in the streets not in the meeting of believers.My desire is the we honor Christs' sacrifice through Holy living and discipling the people that He has given us out of this world!Desi, Jr.