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| Multiple individuals have the Holy Ghost and have been baptized! |
The girls that were, and still are, a part of the group were so kind and happy and enthusiastic about the Bible study which they had dubbed, “Apostolic Bible Study,” (A.B.S.). I quickly became involved with the group and taught the fifth lesson. I was extremely nervous I wouldn’t teach the lesson correctly, worried I would forget necessary details, say something that didn’t make sense, or even worse, get the story-line twisted regarding the subject matter (Jacob and Esau).
Three weeks ago I taught lesson eight, regarding the Tabernacle of the Old Testament and how it applies to our lives in the New Testament. Thankfully, I wasn’t nearly as nervous as the last time. But it challenged me to study more than I ever have and to make the effort to teach the lesson with the best understanding and clarity that I could.
Last Friday (we meet at the high school every Friday), November 5th, there was a youth service at our church after the Bible study. Luisa, Aseri, and I were unprepared and completely shocked when our youth pastor, Jason West, asked us to talk a little bit about what we’re doing and what it’s about. So within a short amount of time all three of us quickly went over what we would say… sort of. I think we were all so nervous we didn’t have much concentration to even think!
I had many thoughts reeling through my mind and knew what I wanted to say but was too nervous to actually talk about it because I knew that meant I had to be in front of everyone longer. I hate public speaking. Once I walked to the front I was more concerned making my little speech as short and simple as possible and quickly changed my mind about what I was going to say. I actually said something completely different than what I originally planned.
All three of us spoke briefly but we got our point across with what little we said. We talked about how the Bible study group began and how it has grown, major principles we recently nailed down (One God and Jesus name baptism), and our experiences working with the young ladies at Homestead High.
Before youth service began I sat among the chairs listening to the youth choral practice for worship service and as I watched them I had one phrase that I kept thinking about. I wasn’t completely sure why or how I thought about it in the first place. The phrase was, “I have a silent accountability to the lost.” I finally made sense of my thoughts when I began to think about how my involvement in A.B.S. has blessed and challenged me. It became even clearer when I realized why I was being challenged and blessed. These were my thoughts:
What has been started at Homestead High goes far beyond Luisa, Aseri, and I simply teaching Bible lessons and trying to lay out basic biblical principles. What it all comes down to is, when we are done teaching and we all go home, the question should be asked, “Are we living what we just finished teaching them today?,” “Do we live what we preach… even it means no one is there to see us but God?”
I, Audrey Barrows, am accountable to the girls I meet every Friday to be accountable in my walk with God. How can I expect God to use me to lead the lost to Him and I myself can’t live holy and consecrated when no one else is around? I am a hypocrite if I live completely opposite than what I teach those girls at Homestead High. God forbid it!
No, I don’t and should not need the girls I teach to ask me, “Audrey did you pray today?” “Did you read your Bible today?” because I need to make the conscious decision to do those simple things everyday and not have the assistance of anyone to help me. Even though they don’t ask me, I know that silently I am responsible to them to fulfill my daily duties as a Christian and child of God and to be faithful in the small things in my personal walk with Him. When I live in such a way, I also become accountable to God because I am now dealing with souls that have the potential of being zealous for Him and catching Homestead High on fire with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
When Luisa, Aseri, and I live our “silent accountability” we daily build a higher and stronger wall around ourselves from becoming what Apostle Paul called a “castaway.” Now not only are we accountable to God, ourselves personally and with each other, and with the girls we teach, but we now are stronger to resist the “castaway” scenario in our walks with God. As we strengthen our accountability in our spiritual lives we will not give in so easily to the “castaway” disease and become lost ourselves as we are reaching the lost.
I challenge those currently involved in reaching those who are lost or backslid, that you stay accountable to God first then watch your spiritual life be strengthened and you will never deal with the issue of becoming a “castaway.” I have been blessed and challenged by teaching the girls at Homestead High. They unknowingly have pushed me to be a better Christian and have built my accountability to God and to them… even though they may not know it. I have a silent accountability to them. Seeing them every Friday prods me more every week to be stronger spiritually… Be honest in your accountability because you automatically are accountable to the lost once you begin reaching for them.
