This past Thursday night, I spoke on "Jesus & new life" from 2 Corinthians 5. I had no idea what the night would turn into when I first started preparing the message months in advance. I thought the students needed to hear that we become new in Jesus, but I was deeply moved by how many students needed hope and encouragement. Some students were struggling with losses, broken families, being outcasts, not being loved, not being valued, not feeling beautiful or pretty, and not feeling a sense of worth. Thankfully, we find the remedy of all these things in Jesus. He makes us new, He shows us how much we are loved and valued as children of God, He says we are His friends, we are the called, gifted, chosen, and set apart for a specific relationship and calling with God. He takes our hopeless lives and breathes new life in us.
"When we meet Jesus, we become new."
2 Corinthians 5:14-17
What is new about us??
*our heart, our mind, our desires, our goals, our gifting, our calling, our Spirit
Where do we experience this new life in Jesus?
*in the Spirit of God, in the Word of God, and in the People of God
Ladies: Don't ever let anyone tell you that you are not beautiful and valuable! You are incredibly beautiful and valued and loved by God, and He has chosen you, called you and gifted you to be a beautiful daughter of His
Guys: Don't ever let anyone tell you that you aren't good enough, talented enough, big enough, or strong enough to be a successful person! You are loved and valued by God, and He has chosen you, called you, and gifted you to be an awesome leader for him.
When we meet Jesus, we become new.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Jesus & His mission
For those of us who are Christians, we have been called and invited to Join Jesus in the greatest mission on the planet...His mission. These are the notes from the last night of camp!!!
1. What is Jesus mission?
**the people of God bringing redemption and restoration to all peoples through the gospel.
2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Colossians 3:17-4:1; Mark 12:28-31
2. Why help in Jesus' mission?
**B/c you have experienced the gospel personally.
**B/c Jesus' mission is unstoppable. (Matthew 16:18)
**B/c it is the most satisfying and fulfilling thing you can do with your life.
3. How can I join Jesus and His mission?
Locally-
mow your neighbor's lawn, take your neighbor's trash can to the street and bring it back, rake your neighbor's leaves, serve at the rescue mission, buy your friends a meal, bring drinks and snacks to soccer practice, buy everyone on your ball team or cheer squad a Bible, have an eBay competition selling your junk and give the money to someone who needs it, pray with your pastor at the hospital for sick people.
Globally-
check out Zack Hunter, Toms Shoes, Compassion, Blood:water mission, One Verse, and go on a mission trip
In conclusion, lets use our lives for the greatest story thats ever been told, the one thats still going on and will never end...the story of Jesus and his rescue for all mankind!! His kingdom will never end, ours will be tiny and gone before we know it. Build His!
1. What is Jesus mission?
**the people of God bringing redemption and restoration to all peoples through the gospel.
2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Colossians 3:17-4:1; Mark 12:28-31
2. Why help in Jesus' mission?
**B/c you have experienced the gospel personally.
**B/c Jesus' mission is unstoppable. (Matthew 16:18)
**B/c it is the most satisfying and fulfilling thing you can do with your life.
3. How can I join Jesus and His mission?
Locally-
mow your neighbor's lawn, take your neighbor's trash can to the street and bring it back, rake your neighbor's leaves, serve at the rescue mission, buy your friends a meal, bring drinks and snacks to soccer practice, buy everyone on your ball team or cheer squad a Bible, have an eBay competition selling your junk and give the money to someone who needs it, pray with your pastor at the hospital for sick people.
Globally-
check out Zack Hunter, Toms Shoes, Compassion, Blood:water mission, One Verse, and go on a mission trip
In conclusion, lets use our lives for the greatest story thats ever been told, the one thats still going on and will never end...the story of Jesus and his rescue for all mankind!! His kingdom will never end, ours will be tiny and gone before we know it. Build His!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Camp Victory 2008
Hey Hey Everybody! What Up!! Yes, you have successfully reached my blog. Congratulations! Go ahead and pat yourself on the back. First of all, I want to give a shout out to God for giving us an awesome week at camp. God is Awesome!! Secondly, thanks to all of you campers who made the week tons of fun. You guys are great! By the way, who won? Marines or Army??
Two Big Things You Need To Know:
1. I want you guys to know that everyday I will be posting a new set of notes on the blog from each of this past week's services.
2. Check the right hand side of my blog for the "Teen" section. Over there I've put several links to websites that you can check out...including my facebook.
To the guys, if you want to know about "X3 Watch," the accountability thing i was talking about this past week, click on the link to your right, and download the program for free.
Now, go get some sleep and worship Jesus!! Make sure you check back tomorrow!!!!
Two Big Things You Need To Know:
1. I want you guys to know that everyday I will be posting a new set of notes on the blog from each of this past week's services.
2. Check the right hand side of my blog for the "Teen" section. Over there I've put several links to websites that you can check out...including my facebook.
To the guys, if you want to know about "X3 Watch," the accountability thing i was talking about this past week, click on the link to your right, and download the program for free.
Now, go get some sleep and worship Jesus!! Make sure you check back tomorrow!!!!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Tonight is the Night
No, I'm not popping the question, going on a date, or hoping "tonight will be the night that I will fall for you." For the first time in the history of the world, I'm the main speaker of a youth camp this week, and tonight is the first night. Ok, that was a little over-done, I apologize. Seriously, I'm speaking at Camp Victory near Burlington NC this entire week, and I need you to lift me up this week in prayer. I'm very stoked about the week, and I've been planning for almost 12 months. I'm asking God to rock some student's lives with the truth of the gospel, changing them for His glory. The entire week will be focussed on teenagers removing themselves from the center of their lives and replacing their kingdoms with Jesus at the center of their lives. I want God to get the credit and show up. Thanks so much!!!
For the glory. Jude 25
For the glory. Jude 25
Friday, July 25, 2008
Preaching methodology
I want to mention my preferred methodology on how to preach. Obviously, I'm a young guy without a ton of wisdom, but everybody has an opinion right? I really enjoy preaching through books of the bible and I thoroughly enjoy listening to preaching through books of the bible. Here's why:
1. It helps me remain true to Scripture and avoid heresy.
2. It gives me confidence to know I have the authority of the text behind me.
3. If someone disagrees, they will have to disagree with either the text or my application because the sermon was not my idea.
4. It teaches people how to study the Bible without having to host a hermeneutics class.
5. It is much easier to follow the grand narrative of the Bible (God's redemptive plan and story).
6. It disciplines me to preach tough passages that I may have skipped otherwise.
7. It helps towards the process of preaching the whole counsel of God.
8. It helps me preach God's mind and not my own.
9. It helps me avoid preaching my personal hobby horses.
10. It eliminates Saturday night fever and worry of what to preach from week to week.
11. It allows the congregation to study ahead and prepare for the weekly gathering.
12. Over the course of a life-long ministry, I believe it will best aid in the spiritual maturity for the church.
Agree? Disagree?
**As a sidenote, Colossians is the only book I've actually preached all the way through in succession. It was awesome!
1. It helps me remain true to Scripture and avoid heresy.
2. It gives me confidence to know I have the authority of the text behind me.
3. If someone disagrees, they will have to disagree with either the text or my application because the sermon was not my idea.
4. It teaches people how to study the Bible without having to host a hermeneutics class.
5. It is much easier to follow the grand narrative of the Bible (God's redemptive plan and story).
6. It disciplines me to preach tough passages that I may have skipped otherwise.
7. It helps towards the process of preaching the whole counsel of God.
8. It helps me preach God's mind and not my own.
9. It helps me avoid preaching my personal hobby horses.
10. It eliminates Saturday night fever and worry of what to preach from week to week.
11. It allows the congregation to study ahead and prepare for the weekly gathering.
12. Over the course of a life-long ministry, I believe it will best aid in the spiritual maturity for the church.
Agree? Disagree?
**As a sidenote, Colossians is the only book I've actually preached all the way through in succession. It was awesome!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
terminology
I guess I'm in the mood to expose the fallacies of our contemporary Christianity this week. I have another issue to manifest. However, I'm not some jerk seminary student who thinks he knows it all and wants to demonstrate how his theological perspective is more accurate than everyone else's. Instead, I have found some things in my own life that were harmful to God's glory, harmful to the health of the church, and harmful to my joy, and therefore, I would like to share them.
The terminology I would like to speak of today is "the church." A couple days ago someone asked me where my church was. I responded, "They are located all over Raleigh and Durham and some other places." They replied, "what??" What is the first thing that comes to your mind when I say "the church?" Most of us think of that funny shaped building down the street with the weird glass and the really weird structure that stands way up in the air on top of the building. Colorful carpet, long wooden pews, a manly stout pulpit, a choir loft, and a huge cross on the wall behind the choir loft are all images that fill our memory. It is the place we visit each Sunday, and sometimes if we are really spiritual, we visit Sunday night. However, is this what Jesus meant when he said he would build his church? I think not. Contrary to the popular assumption, the church is not a building, the church is the people that claim to be followers of Jesus. For instance, if a religious riot broke out tomorrow and all the Christian church buildings in America were burnt to the ground, would "the church" still exist? Absolutely yes! You may be thinking, this is a little overboard coming from some "nutjob" Christian who has nothing better to do than sit around and complain about his corrupt upbringing. Well, not actually. I recognize this isn't the greatest issue in American Christianity today, but it is very helpful and revolutionary to the health of the church.
If the church is a building, than Christianity is something we go to once a week, wear weird clothes, say and sing weird things, waiting for Monday so we can be normal again. If the church is a building, than Christianity is a destination and not a way of life. However, if the church is people, than the building is just a place where we can all meet together for corporate singing and hearing the preaching of the Word, and the rest of the week we can be the church, living out the Christian life in our family, work, school, and community environment. Please, don't "go to church," "be the church." This may seem minor to you, but it will greatly influence the way you and the people around you perceive the people of God...followers of Jesus. If you "go to church," then, by definition, you are not the church. Lets rethink our terminology.
The terminology I would like to speak of today is "the church." A couple days ago someone asked me where my church was. I responded, "They are located all over Raleigh and Durham and some other places." They replied, "what??" What is the first thing that comes to your mind when I say "the church?" Most of us think of that funny shaped building down the street with the weird glass and the really weird structure that stands way up in the air on top of the building. Colorful carpet, long wooden pews, a manly stout pulpit, a choir loft, and a huge cross on the wall behind the choir loft are all images that fill our memory. It is the place we visit each Sunday, and sometimes if we are really spiritual, we visit Sunday night. However, is this what Jesus meant when he said he would build his church? I think not. Contrary to the popular assumption, the church is not a building, the church is the people that claim to be followers of Jesus. For instance, if a religious riot broke out tomorrow and all the Christian church buildings in America were burnt to the ground, would "the church" still exist? Absolutely yes! You may be thinking, this is a little overboard coming from some "nutjob" Christian who has nothing better to do than sit around and complain about his corrupt upbringing. Well, not actually. I recognize this isn't the greatest issue in American Christianity today, but it is very helpful and revolutionary to the health of the church.
If the church is a building, than Christianity is something we go to once a week, wear weird clothes, say and sing weird things, waiting for Monday so we can be normal again. If the church is a building, than Christianity is a destination and not a way of life. However, if the church is people, than the building is just a place where we can all meet together for corporate singing and hearing the preaching of the Word, and the rest of the week we can be the church, living out the Christian life in our family, work, school, and community environment. Please, don't "go to church," "be the church." This may seem minor to you, but it will greatly influence the way you and the people around you perceive the people of God...followers of Jesus. If you "go to church," then, by definition, you are not the church. Lets rethink our terminology.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
the sinner's prayer
Most of you who are reading this blog are familiar with the phrase "the sinner's prayer." For those of you who aren't, the phrase is used by many evangelical pastors and evangelists; it refers to what a sinner should pray to God in order to have his sins forgiven and be able to go to heaven one day. When I was a child, I was led to pray the sinner's prayer and I did. Therefore, you could say I'm pretty familiar with the prayer. However, I'm determining where the concept originated and how biblical it is.
This past week I read through book of "Acts" (in the Bible) exploring what the apostles said to people in order to be forgiven of sin and reconciled to God. The only phrases I found that came from an apostle's mouth instructing people to "be saved" were things such as, "repent and be baptized" (2:38), "repent and turn again" (3:19), "repent of your wickedness and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven" (8:22), "everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins" (10:43), "everyone who believes is freed" (13:38), "believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved" (16:31), "repent because God will judge the world through Christ" (17:30), and "believe in Jesus" (19:4). I could not find the "sinner's prayer." The only time prayer is mentioned for salvation is chapter eight verse twenty-two, but even there the apostle is not asking someone to recite something after him. (I realize that I'm only covering one New Testament book of several that would be helpful to the conversation)
Am I completely against the sinner's prayer?? No. However, I believe we should be cautioned because it has done much harm to the church and the world. This prayer many times is used as a magical formula that if said in the right manner will get you a "go to Heaven free" ticket. Many times I believe children and teenagers have been deceived and lured into thinking they have become regenerated believers when in all actuality, they just recited some words while they were emotionally scared of going to Hell.
So, what should we do? We need to be biblical and develop our understanding of salvation and the gospel from the Bible. Do I have it all figured out? Do I completely understand how salvation works? No. My hope is that you and I will become more glorifying to God by becoming more biblical. In the meantime, lets show people they need to repent of their deep, unsatisfying wickedness, and believe in the gospel, and turn to Jesus in order to be clean, reconciled to God, and fulfilled through knowing and pleasing Him. (Let me know if you think I'm right on or if I'm missing a few steps in my thinking.)
This past week I read through book of "Acts" (in the Bible) exploring what the apostles said to people in order to be forgiven of sin and reconciled to God. The only phrases I found that came from an apostle's mouth instructing people to "be saved" were things such as, "repent and be baptized" (2:38), "repent and turn again" (3:19), "repent of your wickedness and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven" (8:22), "everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins" (10:43), "everyone who believes is freed" (13:38), "believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved" (16:31), "repent because God will judge the world through Christ" (17:30), and "believe in Jesus" (19:4). I could not find the "sinner's prayer." The only time prayer is mentioned for salvation is chapter eight verse twenty-two, but even there the apostle is not asking someone to recite something after him. (I realize that I'm only covering one New Testament book of several that would be helpful to the conversation)
Am I completely against the sinner's prayer?? No. However, I believe we should be cautioned because it has done much harm to the church and the world. This prayer many times is used as a magical formula that if said in the right manner will get you a "go to Heaven free" ticket. Many times I believe children and teenagers have been deceived and lured into thinking they have become regenerated believers when in all actuality, they just recited some words while they were emotionally scared of going to Hell.
So, what should we do? We need to be biblical and develop our understanding of salvation and the gospel from the Bible. Do I have it all figured out? Do I completely understand how salvation works? No. My hope is that you and I will become more glorifying to God by becoming more biblical. In the meantime, lets show people they need to repent of their deep, unsatisfying wickedness, and believe in the gospel, and turn to Jesus in order to be clean, reconciled to God, and fulfilled through knowing and pleasing Him. (Let me know if you think I'm right on or if I'm missing a few steps in my thinking.)
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