That really big word....Supremacy!

When was the last time you sat down and was just in awe of God? How long has it been since you have reached out to God with names like "King of Kings" "Glorious Conqueror" "Sovereign Son of God" or even "Triumphant Father"? Why is that most christian blogs (mine included) and most best selling christian books right now all tone back the names of God? Are we beginning to have a diluted sense of who God really is? What are we teaching teenagers today about the supremacy of God?

This upcoming Wednesday night my lesson for our students deals with Colossians 1 and the supremacy of God. This week I reached into my bookshelf and dusted off a book I have not touched in a couple of years. One of my favorites in college was Student Ministry and the Supremacy of Christ by Richard Ross. Just after reading the first chapter I was inspired and fired up. I'm not going to go into details about the book but if you have never read it I suggest going and picking it up. Also if you are involved in youth ministry in any way, shape, or form you need to get the app by Richard Ross called "50 Core Principles of Youth Ministry." (If you search the app store for youthministry it will pop up, the logo is yellow with a white 50). Okay back to the supremacy of our Saviour.

As a church are we teaching our students and leaders what kind of power is found in our Great Creator? Here is block of scripture from 1 Colossians 1:15-20 that really points out who Christ is.

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile everything to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross - whether things on earth or things in heaven."

 We all agree that Christ created all things for His glory. He was not only there in the beginning, He is the beginning. Not only will He be there in the end, He is the end. These are concepts that we are taught from our first day in Sunday School. We hear of this great and awesome God. We pray knowing that our prayers do not fall on deaf ears. We live with hope that Christ will one day come again and call us to a glorious heaven which the Indescribable King has created for us.

So why do we try so hard to make the Uncontainable One fit nice and neatly into our busy schedule? Why do we only give Him 15 minutes in the morning and a short prayer before we eat? Why do we only give Him 2 days a week, and complain when we have to do more? How many times in the last month have you been overwhelmed by Christ? Has your 15 minute quiet time in the morning turned into an hour of worship? When we start trying to make God fit into our pocket, we take away from the awesomeness of our Lord.

I know what has happened in my ministry. I have started breaking God down and teaching Him in sections. One week we talk about His grace. The next we attempt to understand His love. And then we talk about Him as Saviour. In a complete different month we talk about creation. Then we tell stories about Jesus. None of these are bad, and none take away from who Christ is, but unless we also put them all together and talk about the total and complete supremacy of God we will never grasp His fullness.

When we start teaching on the complete and absolute supreme power of Christ, our problems will seem so small. When we teach about how big our God is, we find strength to face life's obstacles. I hope you will join me and stop making Christ our mascot that fits neatly into our everyday lives, and start making Him LORD and Saviour over every aspect of your life. Do not be afraid of the big word, instead use it to teach about our Supreme God.