Six of our Seniors responded to my invitation to say something to five15, commenting on what they learned and how God met them during their high school years, and challenging us to live for Christ. These were so good, that I want you to be able to read and review them again. Enjoy:

Jonny:

Whoa, this is crazy. I never thought I would be at my last five15 meeting… Man I am so old! If you had told me 4 years ago that I would be standing up here, telling you all how God has changed me through five15, I probably would have thought that you were crazy. But now, thanks to God’s grace, that is exactly where I find myself.

There are so many ways that five15 has impacted and changed my life. The biggest being my conversion and baptism two years ago. But another one being my outlook on friends. Before I started coming to youth meetings, friends, to me, were just the people that I had the most fun with. But now thanks to Steve’s faithful preaching, I realize that are a gift from God. And that a good friend isn’t just one that you have a good time with, it’s more importantly the friend who will challenge you in your faith. He, or she, is the one who won’t stand by and watch you stumble into sin, but will catch you and try to, with scripture, put you back on solid ground.

Proverbs 13:20 says “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Thanks to five15, and Steve, I now walk with the wise.

So if I could exhort you to one thing it would be this; find a friend. A friend that will preach the gospel to you everyday, and will catch you when you fall.

Liane:

Looking back on high school, I can’t believe how fast it went by. Because it’s such a busy season of life, I think it can be easy to miss the unique opportunities God has given us as teenagers. I know that I missed out on some of these while I was in high school, and I want to encourage you all to look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of your time (Eph. 5:15-16).

First, the opportunity to press into God by reading His Word. Like people always say, you have more free time now than you ever will again. Make reading your Bible a priority every day. Not only will His words become a joy and the delight of your heart (Jer. 15:16), but you will discover the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus your Lord (Phil. 3:8), the only One who truly satisfies.

Second, the opportunity to seek your parents’ wisdom. In my self-sufficiency, I often tried to deal with my problems on my own (which never really worked), instead of seeking help from God and my parents. At the end of my junior year, God mercifully revealed to me my prideful attitude. I repented of this sin and, by His grace, have seen change in this area over the last year. Although there is still much room for growth, I can already see the blessings resulting from seeking my parents’ guidance. At this point in my life where many big changes and weighty decisions lie ahead, I am so grateful that I can go to them for practical and gospel-centered counsel. I would encourage you guys to take advantage of your parents’ wisdom now, while you are still living at home and it is easily accessible. Confess your sin to them honestly and invite their input humbly, remembering that God gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5).

Third, the opportunity to reach out to others. My dad always encouraged us to reach out to kids who seemed lonely or were new, and the five15 challenge also served as a helpful reminder. Although this is so contrary to our culture and our own nature, stepping outside your comfort zone to reach out to others makes a loud statement about who you are living for.

Your time in five15 will go fast; enjoy it and make the most of it!

Caroline:

The middle and high school years are very influential in our lives. Some of the most prevalent influences which shape who we become are our relationships. Who we emulate says a lot about what we value. I urge you to make your relationship with God of first importance. Seek to grow in godliness now while you have the faithful help of your parents and pastors around you.

Cultivate your relationships with God and your family and then seek to promote biblical fellowship with your peers. A truly lasting and meaningful friendship is one that is rooted in a love for Christ. When you remember to count others as more significant then yourself, you avoid foolishness and empty relationships in which you’re looking only to what you can gain; be it popularity or just a good time. Think about how you can help your friends by reminding them of the Gospel and pointing them continually to Christ.

I know you’ve heard it a lot before but, remember 2 Corinthians 5:14-15: “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised.” So, take this wonderful opportunity to begin living for Christ; living a life that brings glory to God for sending his Son as a ransom for us, who only deserve His wrath.

How do you cultivate growth in godliness? Begin by remembering that your salvation did not come to you by anything you did. Salvation comes through repentance and faith in Christ’s work on the cross. Immerse yourself in God’s word everyday and welcome correction, remembering that it is a gift to keep you from harm.

Joseph:

I started attending five15 at the beginning of eighth grade. I knew that, Lord willing, I had five long years ahead of me – half of middle school and all of high school. It seemed like an eternity then. However, it went by a whole lot faster than I expected. You’ve probably heard something to this effect – of how time just flies – from older friends, siblings and parents.

Well, believe it or not, it’s actually true. I’m not saying middle and high schools were a breeze; not at all. Getting through them was pretty tough at times – both academically and socially.

But think of it this way. If you’re not there already, you’ll definitely be in high school by next fall. Pretty soon after that, you’ll be an upper classman. Then, a senior, an eighth-semester senior, and then graduated. While there is certainly a lot to look forward to in these times ahead, I would urge you not to get too far down the road just yet. Enjoy, saver, and be content in whatever season you find yourself.
Moreover, I would counsel you to make the most of the time you have. Don’t wait until later to start living for God fully or killing sin decisively, but get passionate for the Lord and His kingdom now. In the words of Ecclesiastes, “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth.”

Personally, I’ve found it easy to get preoccupied with my mundane, day-to-day business. I forget to center the entirety of my existence on God, and procrastinate (usually unintentionally) in confronting the sin still prevalent in my life. I’ve found the best answer for such situations is having strong quiet times – involving prayerful meditation on scripture – and then continuing to direct my thoughts and emotions towards God throughout the day; as Brother Laurence said, to “continually practice the presence of God.”

Looking back, I wish I had pursued these practices sooner and more aggressively. I constantly found myself thinking there would be time in the future to grow. But waiting until later is a waste – a waste of both time and opportunity.

These few years in five15 really do count for something. Don’t let yourself drift, but “press on to know the Lord.” During this season, remember the words in Isaiah 55:6, “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near….”

Hannah:

My family started attending Sovereign Grace when I was eleven years old. My sinful nature told me that people had to introduce themselves to me if I was to get friends, not vice versa. I acquired very few friends that way, and I was feeling very left out. Even after becoming a Christian in seventh grade, my next few years were spent selfishly spending time only with those I knew or wanted to know.

When the five15 Challenge was proposed, my first thoughts were adamantly against it. I wish I could tell you I was all for it, having remembered how others had reached out to me and wanting to do the same. I wish I had been willing to do it simply to please God. Instead, my thoughts went more like this: What?!? Meet new people? Step outside my comfort zone? You have to be kidding me!

Thankfully, God worked on my heart, using my dad specifically. My dad would talk to my brother and I on the drive to five15, reminding us that we were to meet new people for God’s glory. It was another way to live not for ourselves but for God – just like 2 Corinthians 5:15 states. Having prepared our hearts, he expected us to fulfill the challenge. He used the drive home to ask us about who we had met. If we had failed to meet anyone, he would kindly ask us why not and how we could do better next time. It wasn’t long before I began to look forward to fulfilling the challenge.

I will not say it is now natural for me to go up to a perfect stranger and introduce myself, but it has gotten easier only because I know I am honoring God if I do so. I have learned that you can make so many more friends if you are the one going up to people and initiating the conversation. Two of the greatest parts about the challenge are that we do not have to do it alone and we do not have to limit it to five15. Meeting the few we do not know at Five15 simply sets us up for situations where we will be one of the new people – such as when we move up into Crossroads. I praise God for teaching me this important lesson.

Gabe:

What I have to say is really very simple. It’s something I always knew per se, but something God has been really drilling into my head over the past while. It has strongly impacted the way I try to grow in godliness, the way I pray, the way I sing to God and more. It’s this: There is therefore now no condemnation in Christ Jesus. No matter how huge of a sinner I am or you are, if we’re in Christ—no condemnation.

But I’m well acquainted with the feelings of condemnation. Like when I’ve just sinned in some grievous way for probably the five thousandth time and my conscience is screaming and when I read God’s Word and it points the finger at me and calls me the sinner that I know I am and I know there is no way God can be pleased with me, ‘cause I’ve heard Him calling me to repent in this area and here I’ve fallen again and I can’t seem to change and it just seems like an endless cycle of sin and “Are you actually telling me that God really loves me?” I have spat in God’s face and trampled His glory by my disobedience again and again.

But what God’s word says is that the reason I’m secure in my salvation and in God’s love and favor on my life is because Jesus Christ is secure before the Father, not because my deeds deserve it. Romans 5:6 says, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” What it comes down to is I’m an evil sinner who has profaned God’s glory, but Jesus Christ is greater than me and all of my sin. What He did for me on the cross, bearing God’s wrath, covers all my sin. Ephesians 1:7 says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace…”

So now the condemnation that I feel when I sin isn’t real condemnation before God but the devil trying to get me to doubt God. God doesn’t judge me based on my works anymore but by Jesus’ works. If my feelings are telling me I’m too sinful to be saved or to be loved by God, they’re lying. Condemnation is something I need to repent from! Trusting God and believing in His promises means there is no condemnation if I have accepted God’s gift of righteousness in Jesus Christ. God has not given me the authority to condemn myself. God has reserved that for Himself and He has already proclaimed that there is no condemnation for me simply because I have trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation.

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