Does God Really Care About the Details of Your Life?

You know, there are times when I study God’s Word, and I get goosebumps when I see God’s hand.  Did you know that the temple of Jerusalem, the city which overlooked the hill of Jesus’ death…were located on what is called a “seismic ridge”, a geological fault line that extends all the way to the Great Rift Valley in Kenya.

You think God didn’t know where Jesus was to killed…where his death would be?  He did!  To think when God created the world, HE knew the very place where this fault line would be…He knew in how he formed the earth that in that specific place…there would be an earthquake that would reverberate from the core of the world he created for man to live.

You don’t think God is in every detail?  You think your life is any different?  That God doesn’t have a plan, that He doesn’t know your suffering, that He isn’t in complete control?  He was, and is, and always will be.

An Excerpt from the sermon called “The Earth Shook”.  (Watch the entire sermon here)

FREE Olympics Devotional

Last week’s blog post gave you a detailed description on how to host an Olympic Youth Event.  This week is your FREE devotional to use for the event.  It links the Olympics with the Gospel.  Hope your event brings students to Christ!

Olympics Devotional

Something very special happens every 2 years…what is it?  THE OLYMPICS!

When you think of famous Olympians, there are some names that come to mind right away… Michael Phelps, Carl Lewis, or Mary Lou Retton.

 

What about Derek Redmond?  Let me just tell you his story, and I think you will remember him.

He held the British record for the 400m at age 19.  He made it to the Olympics in 1988, but had to withdraw due to an Achilles injury.

In the course of the next 4 years, he had 5 surgeries and trained to become a favorite for the 400 meters in the 1992 Olympic games.

On that day in Barcelona, he stepped on that starting line wanting desperately to finish with a medal around his neck.  The starting pistol goes off, and the race is going great.  Derek is leading the pack as he passes the halfway mark, and suddenly he hears a pop that sounded like a gunshot.  His leg begins to shake, and he realizes he has tore his hamstring.

Some of you are getting the picture in your mind right now…Derek’s dad is watching in the stands.  He sees his son hurt from the top of the stadium.  He rushes down through the 65,000 people packed in that stadium.  He yells at the security guards as he races past them “That’s my son, and I need to help him”

You see, before that race, Derek made a promise to his dad that he was going to finish that race no matter what.  And his dad came onto the track, put his sons arm around him and together, father and son, they finish the race together in front of a roaring crowd.

 

What a powerful story, but is nothing compared to what I am about to tell you.

You see each one of us in this room is like Derek.  We try to run this life of ours and do our best, but in the end we will come up short.

Romans 3:23 – “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  What that means is we all have made mistakes and we come short of heaven.

But just like that day on the track, we have a loving Father that wants us to finish.  As Derek’s dad came down from the stands, our Father in heaven, sent His Son down to this earth to suffer for us.  He died to pay the penalty for our sins.

Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

That day on the track Derek’s dad said to him – I’m here, son,” Jim says softly, hugging his boy. “We’ll finish together.”

God is saying that to you today.  I am here for you, I died for you, and I love you.  Believe & trust in me today, and we will spend eternity in heaven together.  Will you make that decision today?  Pray to God & trust Him today.

 

Pray (Invitation Option)

A Lesson on Forgiveness

This is a true picture of Romans 8:28.  Where God can use something so tragic, and His children can display such grace in their testimony.  Would you be able to react in this way?  But for the grace of God, go I.  God’s glory shines through this family.

 

 

Our Reaction to the Resurrection

What is your reaction to the resurrection?  Here are four reactions that come to mind.

Belief.  Do you believe Jesus died and rose from the dead?  A lawyer named Frank Morison was determined to disprove evidence for the resurrection.  He believed Jesus lived a wonderful life, but he saw the Resurrection as more a fable passed down from generations.  His plan was to write a logical, well-thought out argument against the Resurrection.  But as he studied, something happened.  When he approached the fact, looked at them in a legal manner – methodically and carefully.  He changed his mind.  He eventually wrote a Best-Seller called “Who Moved the Stone?”, filled with pages of evidence for Christ’s resurrection.  The very thing he set out to refute. Instead he wrote a book with the 1^st chapter aptly named “The Book that Refused to be Written”.  He went from unbelief to BELIEF. (Paraphrase from “More Than a Carpenter” by McDowell)

Live With Purpose – I Corinthians 15:12-14.  We have a message – Not a lie, but a message of a loving, living Savior.  We can have faith – Paul declared that without the resurrection of Jesus, the faith they held was not good for anything.  Now it’s good for everything.  We can live forgiven – With the resurrection of Jesus there is reconciliation.  We can live with a future in mind – Our future is bright…for all eternity.

Live with Hope – I Corinthians 15:16-19.  Maybe there is a job you hope to have someday?  Because you believe it can happen…and that gives you motivation to show up to work on time, work hard, perform well…or maybe study well for a degree.  You can’t see what job you will have someday but you strive for it and you hang on to the hope of it.  Eternity, you cannot see, but you have hope of attaining it one day if you trust in Jesus…and because of the resurrection, there is hope.   Because of that hope, you can live another day, work hard for the cause of Christ…because one day you will attain eternal life.  What hope that is.

Live with New Life –  I Corinthians 15:20-23.  Guarantee.  You ever taken back an item that said “lifetime guarantee”?  And then the person at the register or over the phone asks you to get your magnifying glass out to read the fine print that has lists all the things the guarantee doesn’t include.  You see, it has exceptions.  Not eternal life.  The “firstfruit” here refers to the 1^st part of the harvest that was put in the storehouse.  So Jesus represents the 1^st to be resurrected, and those that believe in Him will follow Him someday…Not many things are guaranteed in this life…but God gives us the guarantee of eternal life through faith in Jesus…the resurrected Savior.

What is your reaction?  Feel free to share in the comments below.  And if you don’t have a church to celebrate…you are welcome to visit ours!

 

Tim Tebow: Great Perspective on Life & Sports

What does Jesus’ ascension have to do with you?

In Acts 1:8-11, the ascension of Jesus Christ takes place.  Something special happened as Jesus gave his final instructions and shot off into the clouds.  What was it?  What does this event have to do with you?

When Jesus ascended to heaven, an eternal hand-off from Jesus to the disciples. 3 years of public ministry had come to an end and now it is up to them.  And now it is up to us.  In John 16, Jesus said it would be to the disciples advantage that he would leave…because then…you would get the Holy Spirit.

Let me ask you this – I understand this was a promise for the disciples…but is this a different Holy Spirit? A different source of power than the HS that lives in us?  Are we to be a witness to a different Jesus?  We have the power to be a witness for Jesus in our neighborhood, our community, our workplace..and we as a church are giving to missions, some of us are answering the call to missions to allow the Gospel to go to the ends of the earth.

If a loved one held your hand before they passed, and they gave you final instruction… would you listen? People, this was Jesus’ last instruction before leaving earth.  So church…ARE YOU? Are you being a witness to others?  Your mission is to spread the Gospel, the message of Jesus…He came, He died, He rose again…and He left – and has chosen us to spread Word about Him, His love, and His Salvation.  Will you?

God saved me, now what?

Before I get to the point…watch this incredible story of a Dad and his son.

You have experienced Amazing Grace if you have salvation.  And you have been given new eyes, a new focus, new meaning…a new life.  You have new sight.  You have been looking at the ground all this time…at this world hoping to find happiness, joy, and fulfillment.  Now, you can look up, and you can SEE.  You have been given new life.  From death to life.

And with these new eyes, How dare we look down on anyone else in the sense that we are any better – No, if anything we should have a better understanding of where they are – and where they could be!  It should break our heart – motivate us to share how they could be rescued, delivered from death to life.

To sum up…you have salvation, NOW WHAT?  Live a life as if you have been given a new life (because you have), and share this new way of living with those that have not experienced it.  LIVE & SHARE!

This is a clip from this sermon.  Clink on the link to hear more.

 

1 Win is Worth 100 Losses

Win is Worth 100 Losses…Spoken like a true Bills fan.  But there are times in ministry where people fall, deny the truth, or just decide to quit…but I have to remember the victories.  That’s what we have to do, find the victories even among the failures – The spilled milk isn’t what matters…it’s your reaction to it.  The job loss that results in a new dependence on God.  The high school decision that your future self will thank you.

But there is a victory that is greater than all of these, and Jesus does a much better job of bringing the point home in Luke 15:8-10 – READ

Little Background here…

• Those 10 coins would come as a headband. This was equivalent to a wedding ring of today.  So ladies – you could see why this woman was so desperate to find the coin. 
• 10 Coins – likely represented all she had – 1/10 of her savings was lost!
• Another thing – Palestinian homes didn’t typically have LED lighting – in fact, most were quite dark with wooden floorboards where the coin could have easily been lost.

Why would I share this background information?  Well it gives us better understanding of this parable, and the themes within the story.  The overall theme of this parable, and the one before and after it…is the love of the Father searching and finding the Lost.  Here’s what we learn from this passage…

In the Dark…Just as the woman searched in a dark home for the lost coin.  God is searching through a dark world for those that are lost.  They are searching for hope in darkness.  God is the light they need in the dark world.

What was missing?  Part of the BRIDE was missing.  Jesus calls the church His what? (Bride)  This may be a stretch of an application, but we learn two things here:

1. Christ wants to search for those who could be called His bride
2. The church should be looking – If this woman told you she lost her coin – would you say “tough luck”? Would you be too busy to help (as we talked about last week)?  Would you be so unloving not to care?

Today, it’s not a coin.  IT’S PEOPLE!  People that can discover what it means to be loved by their Heavenly Father.  You can help them be found by the FATHER!

One Coin?  Not only was it just one coin, but some commentaries say the coin was just worth a day’s wages.  Plus this lady had 9 other coins.  Why search?  Compared to God, we are just little specks on this planet.  We may have several hundred Facebook friends…but there are 7.4 billion people on this planet.  We are just one of many…why would God search for us?  Shows God cares – Psalm 103:8-14 – This is the God we see in Luke 15.  A compassionate, loving, and merciful God – who SEARCHES for lost sinners!

God is not a passive God.  Look at the woman He is compared to…look at all she does to search for the coin.  She gets a light, she sweeps the place, and she diligently searches high and low…she is not going to give up…and neither does God.  2 Peter 3:9 tells us that God is not willing that any should perish…He wants all that are lost to be found.

The reaction – Do you have the reaction of this woman?  Well, do you?  You have found new life!  You have found forgiveness, hope, & peace – will you go to your friends and neighbors and share it and say…Look what I FOUND!  We search harder for the remote control that we do for lost souls…SHAME ON US!

Look at the joy over “1 sinner who repents”.  I enjoy watching football.  Well, the NFL season hasn’t started yet, so I can still say that.  But if your team is bad, the NFL draft provides you with fleeting hope…that the guy you get on your team will be the answer.  They MUST have a special talent, and your team is saying – we want them to be part of our team.  On TV – after the team picks the player, they show the guys in upper management…guys in suits giving each other high fives, fist pumping, and cheering…for a game…a game!

Imagine those truly in “upper management”…the angels of God…imagine their excitement over someone joining their team…FOREVER SAVED!  It might go something like this…

“Hey Gabriel, get over here…look…it’s happening over here in China…a little girl, that’s it and AMEN….YES, she just got saved!  Michael look down there in South Africa…a couple just trusted in our Savior…Wahoo!  Oh…look over there in Columbus, Ohio…a neighbor praying with one of ours…How we celebrating tonight…shooting stars…lightning storm…100,000 angel choir…PARTY FOR THOSE SAVED FOR ETERNITY…YES!!!

Do we have this reaction?

Here is the Model of Evangelism.  Desperate search for the lost and bring them to their proper place – in God’s family – in the safety of the Father’s arms.  Do we search with desperation?  Do we search?  Do we care?  Do we believe others are worth saving?  The woman didn’t say – “Oh well, lost a coin…I got 9 more…I’m safe.”  We can’t live our lives this way…instead…living each day hoping, praying, and witnessing towards ONE MORE.

My wife is an incredible party planner – especially birthday parties for our kids.  The things she creates, bakes & makes for those parties…amazing.  All that hard work – Why does she do that?  Because she loves our kids and wants them to have joy on their birthday.  Bringing people to Jesus is hard work.  It takes prayer, boldness…sometimes years of conversations, sacrifices, and loving others…BUT in the end it is worth it…to see the joy on someone’s birthday…their spiritual birthday.

Let’s be the best party planners – the party that happens in heaven each time someone trusts Jesus Christ as their Savior.

This Generation Needs the Truth

The longer I am in youth ministry, the more I realize how much this generation needs to be reminded of the truth of the Gospel.The Gospel…

A Gospel that tells them they are loved.  Not just a little bit of love – but love that would send an innocent man to His death…for them!  That they are worth dying for!  A love that does not change – nothing they can do can lose any of God’s love and earn any more…it is perfect!

A Gospel that tells them they have hope.  Even with the bullying, with the feelings of loneliness, the difficulties in their academics…there is hope.  Philippians 3:20 says our citizenship is in heaven…we are just visiting this world that is full of sin & destruction…there is so much hope that awaits you.

A Gospel that tells them they have a purpose.  Their purpose is to spread this GREAT NEWS.  They have a voice, they have something to share, they have the key to LIFE…which leads us to our passage.  Read I Timothy 6:19-21.

Remember these two verbs from this passage:  Pursue & Avoid

Pursue:  Check out the end of verse 19 – “TRULY LIFE”

First, little background/context here – this is a the end of a message Paul was giving to the rich – not to care so much about earthly treasures…but to care about the eternal.  Live for what truly matters – “take hold of that which is truly life” – How?  Pursue the eternal.  There is so much out there for this generation to hold onto…just hoping it will bring them LIFE.

They are out there searching – hoping life has so much more.  Thinking…this can’t be all there is…emptiness just filling their souls.  Like they are hanging on the edge of a cliff and reaching for something…anything to save them.  But they keep grabbing for things that don’t hold up, sending them further down the cliff.

Pursue LIFE.  Eternal life.  Let me ask you this:  Do we give this example to this coming generation?  When we show them – the Christian life – it’s where it’s at!  This is THE life!  According to Pew Research – Rise of the Nones (those with NO religious affiliation) that is growing in this country – Most given reason for breaking off w/ religion they were raised in because…they become disenchanted.  They were disappointed in Christianity!  Why?  Could it be we aren’t living like this is the ONLY way?  We live like there are other options.  Is it worth it to us?  Worth dying for?  Is it THE LIFE?  OR Do we live boring, risk-free, non-committal Christian lives?  Is it any wonder this generation is saying no thanks?

The Christian life is HARD, takes sacrifice, will produce persecution…it better be WORTH IT!  Does our life, our passions, our speech, our actions…do they prove to our children that the Christian life is worth it?

This is how we pursue – 5 steps

1. We talk about God in our home – According to the College Transition Project – 1in 8 teens talk to their moms and 1 in 20 to their dads about faith in their lives.
2. Serve Together – Let’s drop off cookies at the neighbors together, come paint VBS sets together, and visit the elderly together…and then get ice cream after. Ok?
3. Church is a priority – Not in a legalistic way…but in a “We love the Bride of Christ” kind of way…and we WANT to be there to learn, serve, and worship.
4. Share your faith – Not just daddy or mommy…but all of us share. In our schools, our jobs, our ball teams, our band concerts our neighborhoods…LIFE of faith.
5. Love Others – Jesus said “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Love others, love the lost…and prove it by your actions.

Avoid

End of verse 20 reminds me of:

1. The philosophy professor at the secular college that wishes to disprove religion
2. The rants of the atheists in our media aimed to humiliate anyone that believes in a higher power
3. The theory that many call “science” claims the world was formed by a big bang & the existence of the universe was result of millions of years of chance

The world will call this knowledge – it is false – and our children need to hear the truth from us.  Avoid pointless arguments that get you nowhere…instead live by faith, share about what faith has done in your life, and love others – these are hard to argue.  We fight on FB – when we should offer a conversation at a coffee shop.  We badmouth a child’s friend – when we should invite their parents out to breakfast.  We get worked up in politics when we should be on our knees in prayer

What we want for our kids – verse 20…so we can do all we can to avoid verse 21.  The minute we water down the Gospel at our church or in our home – is the moment we fail.  We fail our Savior, we fail our responsibility, & we fail our children.  We guard the Gospel and avoid false teaching in our homes – with the hope of them staying firm in their faith.  Is this full-proof, money back guaranteed?  Not in this fallen world…but…  The more you talk about God in your home, protect the truth, and live it out…the greater the chance this coming generation will follow and stay firm in their faith.

Listen to the entire sermon here (9/4/2016)

Selfishness Has Many Faces

Let me just give you a few examples of selfishness that you are pretty familiar with:

• Burger Kings says “Have it ________ way” (YOUR)
• Sprite says “Obey __________ thirst” (YOUR)
• L’Oreal Hair Products say “Because ________ worth it” (YOU’RE)
• Bon Jovi’s song called “It’s ____ life”(MY) & The Beatles sang song called “I, Me, Mine”

We have been conditioned by our culture to think of ourselves as most important.  It’s encouraged to be selfish…to look out for NUMBER 1.  Jesus says and did differently…You know what I have discovered… My selfishness is everywhere!  It’s like the dishes after dinner…you think you got all the big pots and pans…the plates…but then you find a sippy cup under the table.  “Aw man, How did I miss that!?!”

Just as I think I have my selfishness under control, I find it in another part of my life.

• It’s when I want the traffic to go my way and all the lights to be green for ME.
• It’s the quiet I think I deserve when come home from work – w/ 4 kids under the age of 8, it’s not just selfish, but impossible.
• It’s when I get a fresh bottle of root beer…and several little voices ask for a sip.

You see how many faces selfishness can have?  It is FRIGHTENING!

Read Philippians 2:3-4

The Do’s & Don’ts – This essentially is a list of Do’s & Don’ts – ever since we were kids, we don’t like do’s and don’ts…and our flesh wants to continue to fight them…but if you play this out, you can see how a your life could be derailed by not following this list.

First the Do’s –  Have same mind/same love, Have humility, Look to the needs of others.  The Don’ts – Have Selfishness, Have Pride, Look to your own needs.  Why are these important?  Well, let’s look at what happens if you follow the don’t list…

• Selfish – not have love for others
• Pride – credit will not be given to the Savior
• Look after you own interests – Please only yourself

Conversely, if you follow the do list…Love/Mind of Christ – accomplish the work of Christ…Humility – not get in the way of God working…Look at interests of others – reach needs & reach hearts of others

You can’t have the same mind & love of Christ if you have selfishness. It’s just not possible.  Isn’t that interesting – when we do what we want…we don’t think it will affect others.  But, in the end, nothing could be worse for our relationship with others than selfishness.

Humility is the complete opposite of selfishness.  Paul is saying – this must describe you.  And it might describe us!  As a follower of Christ – we are to be a servant, a humble follower of Jesus.  What an attitude.  An attitude I hope each of us can adopt – To where nothing is done in selfishness or pride.  Where we say “God did that”, not “I did that”.  Where we say “These people need Jesus” not “these people need my help”.  Where we say “How can I serve others” not “I’d rather just be comfortable” 

So, two questions to ask ourselves:

1. Why do you do the things you do?

• Please yourself – Make yourself feel good? Avoid hardship as much as possible? Eat, Drink, & Be Merry philosophy?
• Please others – To make people proud of you. To be able to brag to people what you do for a living…or how you help other people. So people see you as a good person.
• Please God – Are you on this planet to bring others TO Him. What you do is not for your own comfort, to promote your business or your name…do ALL for the glory of God.

2. Can I think of others higher than myself?

• Means giving your attention to someone even when your eyes can barely stay open
• Means listening to the Holy Spirit – leading you to help others
• Means going outside your comfort zone for the betterment of someone else

In Philippians 2:6-11, we see the mind of Christ played out in one of the most beautiful pieces of literature ever written.  When you think of Jesus’ death – can’t help but think who he died for…the murderers, the rapists, and those on death row.  And he died for you, and for me.  Talk about humility, the King of Kings…nailed to a cross to die for all those that spit in His face.

Jesus showed his humility.  He showed it.  Because a man who just says he is humble and does not show it – is just the opposite.  And once you say you are humble, it is very likely you just lost your humility.  Look at the example of Christ…his humility, his love, and his willingness to put others first.  Selfishness has many faces…that’s why we need to not look in the mirror, but look to Christ.

Listen to the entire sermon here (9/4/2016)