Attacking Apathy – Young men

By: Pastor Michael Matejka One of the most crucial and problematic issues that faces the young men today is apathy. While this

issue is across the board and can apply to all, it finds a particular critical vein in the lives of young men and so I will be addressing them directly. (I trust those who aren’t young men will interpret accordingly and find the principles behind my words) Why? This is because it is in direct contradiction to what men are called to be in Christ. They must be bold, unwavering, courageous, not being discouraged, but standing firm in the face of apparent hopelessness, zealous, fervent in Spirit, they must act like men (Joshua 1:9, 1 Kings 2:2, Micah 6:81, Proverbs 27:17, 1 Corinthians 16:13, Romans 12:11, Galatians 6:9)! In today’s culture that phrase is frowned upon or it’s dissected so much to say a man can be this and a man can be that, so that we lose what the Bible communicates and what we all know is inherently true; that men are supposed to be fearless warriors who sacrificially give their lives for others.

Apathy is one of the greatest tools Satan and the forces of darkness use to bring about the death of many people in the Church. It is not something to take lightly, for the Lord Jesus did not when He had John send the letter of Revelation to the Church in Sardis. Read Revelation 3:1-3. Many in the Church have a reputation of being alive but are dead. They may have received the Word initially with joy, but they have been caught up with the cares of the world, they have not found success like they hoped, they have fallen asleep and have not taken initiative in the sins in their life that they know deep down the Lord despises. We lie to ourselves and tell ourselves, ‘well I’m not as bad as I was’, or ‘I’m not like person X or person Y’. We put on a face for Sunday and Wednesday and really appreciate the convicting message given by Brandon but then don’t repent from our ways and take action. What does Jesus say in verse 1? “I know your works…” One of the simplest comprehended truths of the Scripture that we so often forget is the Lord sees all (Psalm 139:7-8, Proverbs 15:3, Hebrews 4:13). From Sunday morning to Saturday night, He is present and watching. Nothing that is done in secret, nothing that is covered, & nothing itself, one’s laziness, will not remain hidden, but all will be revealed one day.

As the passage above communicates, the Lord absolutely hates apathy, and hypocrisy. I wish to draw

that out more. A couple weeks ago I made a post on ‘How a Christian should vote?’, and one of the main

passages I talked about was Isaiah chapter 1. The people of Israel were standing idly by as the nations and many within their nation offered up their children in sacrifice to Molech. They stood by apathetically, they did not care for the things of God, and what was the Lord’s response to them? Verse 15, “When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen” The Christian should not be slack or idle in any work they do, in that case they are just like an unbeliever, they don’t help God’s kingdom but actively work against it (Proverbs 18:9). This is the dichotomy set up in Galatians 5:16-17, the flesh and the Spirit are in direct opposition to one another.

Week by week is there change? Are you becoming a more devoted follower of the Lord? Are you

continually, steadfastly serving His kingdom? Or are you succumbing to laziness, to apathy, to slothfulness. Have you halted from seeking brotherly counsel and fellowship? Have you forsaken reading the Word of God daily or seeking the Lord in prayer? Have you seen no results in leading your family devotions and therefore have given up? Have you seen no progress in fighting a sin and refuse to “cut out your eye or cut off your hand”? We need God’s help, we need God’s Spirit, a Spirit of power, and love, and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:9).

Before we move on, I want to address something. The truth is Apathy can find its way in all areas of our lives. How easy is it to lose interest in something. This can be in addressing a specific sin issue, or this can be in a failure to remain zealous in serving the Lord. Both cases are addressed Biblically (Colossians 3:5-10, James 4:17, Galatians 6:9). What does the Bible say we must do in response? That’s what we must find, what does God tell us? What is the Biblical man’s response?

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1. Do not look to what is seen but what is unseen.

I alluded to this already, but the opposite of an apathetic man is a zealous man, one who shows great

energy in pursuit of an objective or plan. One of my favorite passages concerning Christ and His rulership

comes from Isaiah 9:6-7. Whereas we so often get discouraged and apathetic towards the mission of God in this world our Lord and Savior remains zealous on His throne, and He will not falter nor be discouraged (Isaiah 42:4). Why? This is because we become so focused and overcome by the temporary weight of circumstances in our life, when truly they are only light momentary afflictions (2 Corinthians 4:16). God doesn’t get discouraged over the trivial things that we do in this world. He sees the fullness of His plan coming together and will not falter. Therefore, one of the first things that the man of God must recognize and change in his thinking is his outlook concerning life on this earth. Read 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. This entire life should be viewed as a mission field. You are a soldier for Christ who may not see the end of the war but whose duty is to give His life for the cause. While our military has an age restriction where when you grow too old you no longer serve, men in Christ’s kingdom don’t have an age restriction, we serve until our dying breath. Read Paul’s final words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:1-8. Soon after writing these words Paul would be beheaded and meet his Lord and Savior face to face. He was pouring himself out for the cause of Christ until his final moments. Galatians 6:9 tells us that in due season we will reap, and that is true, whether we reap some of that in this life or not, we will certainly reap in the next one.

2. Read and Apply the Proverbs

Now this may seem vague and simple. What I want to address here is the tendency of Christians, especially for those in America to throw their hands up in defeat and proclaim, “It’s going to hell in a handbasket…” Read Matthew 25:24-30. We cannot have the attitude of that wicked and slothful servant, so how are we to learn to be faithful with what the Lord has entrusted with us? The Proverbs, the wisdom literature given us by God is a playbook for the man of God. It reveals true Biblical wisdom to us and trains us to be fervent in Spirit and to act faithfully. Committing these to heart will train you to be the man of God who is faithful with what he is given. (Proverbs 6:6; 10:4-5; 12:11; 14:23; 16:3; 18:9; 21:25; 24:30)

3. Learn from Biblical Men Who Failed

Chief example among thee would be the man made famous for his apathy, as the apostle’s creed says,“Christ suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried…” Pilate had placed before him Jesus Christ, the lamb who takes away the sins of the world, and he even asked in John 18:39, “What is truth?” Unfortunately, that exchange would end with Pilate washing his hands before the crowd and exclaiming innocence, when he was anything but, and his apathetic approach to the situation would be a damnable offence. James 4:17, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” There are times in our lives where many small decisions that we make come to a head, and a great profound choice is placed in front of us. We must be zealous for the truth and not stop with a mere pondering of the truth, but like the man who sold all he had to buy the field that held the treasure within (Matthew 13:44), we must act likewise in pursuing God’s kingdom and His holiness.

Within this principle also is learning from your brothers and sisters in Christ. Walk alongside them and hear their testimonies. Stand together to carry one another across the finish line so that no man is left behind. (Philippians 1:27-30)

4. Act like a Man

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” – 1 Corinthians 16:13. I think we all know the heart behind Paul’s words here. Fight, sacrifice, embrace pain. I remember in high school when I trained for football, and we would go through conditioning. A phrase thrown around everywhere through training camp and one that would run through my head all practice, “NO PAIN!”

Now, I said this to myself repeatedly, but did I not feel pain? Of course I felt it, I actually embraced it and I sought after it. Why? It was because I knew that it was producing in me a strength that would last, that would carry me to do things that I couldn’t do before. We must look at all of life this way. Read James 1:2-4. All areas of one’s life, through trials and temptations, these are opportunities for us to act like men, to look upon it and say “NO PAIN!”, because we know the Lord is producing something in us that we would never have otherwise.

Now with that last statement I want to emphasize a point. I am currently going through the book of

Galatians with the youth group, and we are in chapter 3 this week. Read Galatians 3:2-4. Recognize this can only be done through faith in God and the work of His Spirit in our lives. Submit yourself to Him and follow Him, do not think that you can do it on your own strength or merit. Even when you find victory, for we are weak in the flesh, and we must constantly remind ourselves of this. ‘It is the Lord who works in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure, and because of this we work out our salvation with fear and trembling’ (Philippians 2:12-13).

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“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly

affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the

Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints

and seek to show hospitality.” – Romans 12:10-13