Ok, so what you are about to read I took from the "Bridge" handout that Brian (our minister) put in your bulletin a couple of weeks ago. I believe that this will help you in the way that things work as far as salvation, especially since we have been talking about this a lot in the past couple of weeks. I hope that this helps! Please if you have any questions please call me or if it is more comfortable for you leave comments and we will chat!
COVENANT OF MARRIAGE
This relationship begins with a special kind of love that says, "I've found the one I've been looking for."
This love responds by...
Deciding to submit myself to the other's best interest.
"You first"
Telling others of the decision made.
Wedding Ceremony
*Giving the oath of allegiance
*An end and a beginning
*Leaving the single life for a shared life.
Now, you can't just sit back and do nothing! You need to get to know your mate better and better. Te depth and quality of the relationship will be determined by the amount of effort exerted at this point.
COVENANT WITH CHRIST
This relationship begins with a faith that says, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
This faith responds by...
Deciding to submit myself to Jesus' best interest; repentance.
"You First"
Telling others of the decision made; public confession.
Baptism is to the covenant of Christ what the wedding is to the covenant of marriage:
*The oath of allegiance
*An end and a beginning
*Leaving the "self" life for a shared life.
Now, you can't just sit back and do nothing! You need to get to know God better and better. The depth and quality of the relationship will be determined by the amount of effort exerted at this point.
IN HIM <><
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
2 Corinthians 5:17
2 Corinthians 5:17--"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
As most of you know we have been going through the 3:16 study by Max Lucado. Why is it that our world is so messed up? Why do 3rd graders come up with plans to harm their teachers? Why do men fly planes in to buildings filled with people? Why do people shoot at cars on the interstate? Maybe because they have not been changed into new creations?
As I look at 2 Corinthians 5:17 I can't help but to think about what an amazing thing God does with people. God takes all people and allows them to come to Him and be a part of His family as long as they follow the rules or guidelines (I'm not sure which of those words I like better for this application). Any way as messed up as I am with all the problems that I have God still allows me to work in His service and be a part of His family.
Let me share this statement from the study guide 3:16--"We inadvertently get it wrong when we say that we invited Jesus Christ into our lives. This suggests that he took up residence in the areas we assigned him. Maybe we allotted him Sundays, and we give him fifteen minutes to fix any problem we can't handle. This isn't real salvation! We don't invite Jesus into our lives; he invites us into his purpose. When we understand this nuance, we are ready to experience the life-changing power of God."
I guess the real question is do I allow God to change every area of my life every minute or do I continue to hold somethings back from God in order to experience the pleasures of the flesh? This is not a hard questions to answer I continue to hold things back from God, how about you? Do you hold parts of your life back from God?
As most of you know we have been going through the 3:16 study by Max Lucado. Why is it that our world is so messed up? Why do 3rd graders come up with plans to harm their teachers? Why do men fly planes in to buildings filled with people? Why do people shoot at cars on the interstate? Maybe because they have not been changed into new creations?
As I look at 2 Corinthians 5:17 I can't help but to think about what an amazing thing God does with people. God takes all people and allows them to come to Him and be a part of His family as long as they follow the rules or guidelines (I'm not sure which of those words I like better for this application). Any way as messed up as I am with all the problems that I have God still allows me to work in His service and be a part of His family.
Let me share this statement from the study guide 3:16--"We inadvertently get it wrong when we say that we invited Jesus Christ into our lives. This suggests that he took up residence in the areas we assigned him. Maybe we allotted him Sundays, and we give him fifteen minutes to fix any problem we can't handle. This isn't real salvation! We don't invite Jesus into our lives; he invites us into his purpose. When we understand this nuance, we are ready to experience the life-changing power of God."
I guess the real question is do I allow God to change every area of my life every minute or do I continue to hold somethings back from God in order to experience the pleasures of the flesh? This is not a hard questions to answer I continue to hold things back from God, how about you? Do you hold parts of your life back from God?
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Isaiah 40:18-22
Here in the book of Isaiah, Isaiah writes about the people abandoning God to worship Idols. He explains how the rich had crafted Idols out of gold and precious medals but even the poor had started crafting their own idols out of wood and other things because they could not afford the precious medals. God lets us know that he created everything for us and yet they and we fail to worship Him. I believe that verse 26 is very important to this thought.
Isaiah 40:26--"Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry hose one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and might strength, not one of them is missing."
God knows each and every one of the starts by name how much more do you think that he knows you? I believe that the components of nature can be a constant reminder of how much God cares about us. Event though we realize that God loves and cares about each and every one of us we still like the Israelites fail to follow God and we end up following something else in this world, I guess you could say that we invent our own idols. Let me leave you with two questions for today.
1. Why do we abandon God and pursue worship of meaningless things?
2. What things do we worship instead of God?
IN HIM <><
Isaiah 40:26--"Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry hose one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and might strength, not one of them is missing."
God knows each and every one of the starts by name how much more do you think that he knows you? I believe that the components of nature can be a constant reminder of how much God cares about us. Event though we realize that God loves and cares about each and every one of us we still like the Israelites fail to follow God and we end up following something else in this world, I guess you could say that we invent our own idols. Let me leave you with two questions for today.
1. Why do we abandon God and pursue worship of meaningless things?
2. What things do we worship instead of God?
IN HIM <><
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Easter
Well today is Easter! Easter is one of the biggest Holidays of the year, and rightfully so. I mean Jesus did raise from the dead and show victory over death. Who else can make that claim? My point exactly. I guess I am a little concerned that we don't live like Jesus raised from the dead each and every day, or do we? People get excited about Jesus around Easter and I guess I'm just wondering how we can keep the excitement that comes with Easter all year round. Tomorrow is not Easter but I plan to live like Jesus conquered death tomorrow. I want people to be excited about what Jesus did for them. Jesus went to cross for you and I. He chose to die so that we might have "life and have it to the full". What a challenge Jesus gives us to live each day as if it where our last with the excitement of knowing that Jesus died for us!
Now, that is something to be excited about. I hope that you have a Happy Easter and you will live today like it will be your last, and if you wake up tomorrow that you will take that challenge on again!
One not I forgot to mention in the last post that you are more than welcome to leave comments on the blog, maybe even a question I believe that this blog can be a place that we can learn from each other and grow!
IN HIM <><
Now, that is something to be excited about. I hope that you have a Happy Easter and you will live today like it will be your last, and if you wake up tomorrow that you will take that challenge on again!
One not I forgot to mention in the last post that you are more than welcome to leave comments on the blog, maybe even a question I believe that this blog can be a place that we can learn from each other and grow!
IN HIM <><
Friday, March 21, 2008
Events
Hey Everyone,
I wanted to let you know about some upcoming events! Saturday, March 22 is our annual Easter Egg Hunt at the church make sure you plan to attend.
Also next Friday, March 28 we will be having a K-5th grade lock in at church. Please come and bring a friend. Drop off is 7 p.m. and the cost is $2. I hope to see all of you here!
Well I have to run it has been a very busy day, and the day is not over yet as I will be stuffing Easter eggs for the next couple of hours!
IN HIM <><
I wanted to let you know about some upcoming events! Saturday, March 22 is our annual Easter Egg Hunt at the church make sure you plan to attend.
Also next Friday, March 28 we will be having a K-5th grade lock in at church. Please come and bring a friend. Drop off is 7 p.m. and the cost is $2. I hope to see all of you here!
Well I have to run it has been a very busy day, and the day is not over yet as I will be stuffing Easter eggs for the next couple of hours!
IN HIM <><
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
New Stuff!
Ok, so the Lake Christian Church web site is up and running so if you are visiting this blog from our web site WELCOME!!!! As the youth minister at L.C.C. I strive to challenge our students in lots of ways. So I will be posting devotional thought for the students on this blog I hope that the students as well as any person who reads it will be challenged and enjoy!
IN HIM <><
IN HIM <><
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Dishonest
Genesis 12:10-20
I read this today about Abram and Sarai going to Egypt and Abram tells Sarai to tell the Egyptians that he is her brother so they will treat him well. So this is what she does and sure enough the Egyptians treat him well because of her then Pharaoh takes her as his wife and "serious diseases" we inflected on Pharaoh because of this. So Pharaoh tells Abram and Sarai to leave with everything that they have. To me I see it interesting to see that even Abram had a sin that nagged at him. He had this problem with dishonesty and we would see it continue down his family line. It's funny how we as people look at everyone different once we know what their sin is. We will find some way to make someone else's sin a lot worse than our very own. I believe that part that we fail to realize is that it is not our job to judge in the first place, but it is our job to forgive. I have said this before but let me reiterate why is it that the thing we are to have a part in (forgiveness) we want no part of, and the thing that God says have nothing to do with (judgement) we want to do all the time. I hope today that you will look at your life and see what you are doing. Are you doing the thing God calls you to do? or are you doing the very thing that God says is not your job?
Later,
Chris
I read this today about Abram and Sarai going to Egypt and Abram tells Sarai to tell the Egyptians that he is her brother so they will treat him well. So this is what she does and sure enough the Egyptians treat him well because of her then Pharaoh takes her as his wife and "serious diseases" we inflected on Pharaoh because of this. So Pharaoh tells Abram and Sarai to leave with everything that they have. To me I see it interesting to see that even Abram had a sin that nagged at him. He had this problem with dishonesty and we would see it continue down his family line. It's funny how we as people look at everyone different once we know what their sin is. We will find some way to make someone else's sin a lot worse than our very own. I believe that part that we fail to realize is that it is not our job to judge in the first place, but it is our job to forgive. I have said this before but let me reiterate why is it that the thing we are to have a part in (forgiveness) we want no part of, and the thing that God says have nothing to do with (judgement) we want to do all the time. I hope today that you will look at your life and see what you are doing. Are you doing the thing God calls you to do? or are you doing the very thing that God says is not your job?
Later,
Chris
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