Stockwell And Ralph
Youth Resources
REVIVING THE SPARK
Study Skits Of Biblical Truths For Youth
Ralph: Great message! Pastor was right on this morning.
Stockwell: Pretty much, Ralph, except he's really hung up about works. "The righteous man shall live by faith."
Ralph: By the way, Stockwell, I notice that you haven't been tilling your fields recently. Have you been sick or something?
Stockwell: Not at all. We're supposed to be living out our faith in our everyday lives, so I'm doing it.
Ralph: But you have to work your fields, too, or all you'll get is weeds.
Stockwell: Work is a symptom of unbelief. Who provides the sun and the rain? Who made the soil and all the nutrients therein?
Ralph: God did.
Stockwell: "The ravens ... neither sow nor reap ... and yet God feeds them. The lilies ... neither toil nor spin ..."
Ralph: So you're just ignoring your fields?
Stockwell: I'm concentrating on God. It's all faith, brother. Don't you understand?
Ralph: I guess not.
Stockwell And Ralph
Questions to consider:
1. Is work a symptom of unbelief?
2. Are there circumstances where work can be a symptom of unbelief?
3. If Luke 12:24, 27 does not mean we shouldn't work, what does it mean?
4. What is the best way to protect ourselves from self-deception?
The key point:
The key to knowing the right or wrong of a given course of action can be the action itself, or the motivation behind the action. It is wrong to lie, cheat, steal, or murder. But Christians need to develop a more discerning spirit when it comes to motivations. Is Stockwell exuding faith or laziness? Is he deceiving Ralph or himself?
Christians who know a little Scripture can become especially adept at rationalizing any behavior (fornication, slander, laziness, theft) and calling it good. When we do that, we begin to lose touch with reality. It is the duty of all God's people to warn brethren who are going down that path before they become too hardened. The main symptom of individuals who are far down that path is an unteachable spirit.
Stockwell: Pretty much, Ralph, except he's really hung up about works. "The righteous man shall live by faith."
Ralph: By the way, Stockwell, I notice that you haven't been tilling your fields recently. Have you been sick or something?
Stockwell: Not at all. We're supposed to be living out our faith in our everyday lives, so I'm doing it.
Ralph: But you have to work your fields, too, or all you'll get is weeds.
Stockwell: Work is a symptom of unbelief. Who provides the sun and the rain? Who made the soil and all the nutrients therein?
Ralph: God did.
Stockwell: "The ravens ... neither sow nor reap ... and yet God feeds them. The lilies ... neither toil nor spin ..."
Ralph: So you're just ignoring your fields?
Stockwell: I'm concentrating on God. It's all faith, brother. Don't you understand?
Ralph: I guess not.
Stockwell And Ralph
Questions to consider:
1. Is work a symptom of unbelief?
2. Are there circumstances where work can be a symptom of unbelief?
3. If Luke 12:24, 27 does not mean we shouldn't work, what does it mean?
4. What is the best way to protect ourselves from self-deception?
The key point:
The key to knowing the right or wrong of a given course of action can be the action itself, or the motivation behind the action. It is wrong to lie, cheat, steal, or murder. But Christians need to develop a more discerning spirit when it comes to motivations. Is Stockwell exuding faith or laziness? Is he deceiving Ralph or himself?
Christians who know a little Scripture can become especially adept at rationalizing any behavior (fornication, slander, laziness, theft) and calling it good. When we do that, we begin to lose touch with reality. It is the duty of all God's people to warn brethren who are going down that path before they become too hardened. The main symptom of individuals who are far down that path is an unteachable spirit.
