WFBC Students

10.31 Worship - Love's Great Sacrifice

2010-11-03T14:27:00.001-07:00

LOVE’S GREAT SACRIFICE

1 JOHN 4:9-12

1. GOD HAS A METHOD OF DISPLAYING HIS LOVE (v.9)

a. JOHN 3:16

b. MATTHEW 1:18-23

c. HOW DO WE DISPLAY OUR LOVE? SELFISH – EMINEM VIDEO

d. FACT: WE DON’T UNDERSTAND THE FIRST THING ABOUT LOVE BECAUSE WE DON’T UNDERSTAND THE FIRST THING ABOUT SACRIFICE. LOVE FROM GOD COMES IN THE FORM OF SACRIFICE

2. GOD HAS A MOTIVATION FOR SHARING HIS LOVE (v.10)

a. WHAT IS ATONEMENT? GOD PROVIDES THE SACRIFICE THAT SAVES US

b. FORGIVENESS: HOW AWESOME IT FEELS TO BE FORGIVEN

c. VIDEO: SWITCHFOOT: STARS

d. 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17-18

3. GOD HAS A PLAN FOR SHOWING HIS LOVE (v.11-12)

a. GOD SHOWS HIS LOVE TO US SO THAT WE CAN REFLECT HIM

b. FACT: WE FAIL TO REFLECT GOD’S LOVE BECAUSE WE DON’T KNOW GOD

c. VIDEO: CASTING CROWNS "SLOW FADE"

FINAL CHALLENGE: WAKE UP! CONNECT, GROW, GO!

October 20 - Connect, Grow, Go!

2010-10-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

CONNECT, GROW, GO!

Scripture: Hosea 1 & 3

INTRODUCTION: THE CHANCE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE – WHAT COULD HAPPEN?

BACKGROUND:

· HOSEA’S NAME MEANS “SALVATION” OR “THE LORD SAVES”

· HE PROPHESIED UNDER THE RULE OF FOUR KINGS

· HE PROPHESIED FOR FOURTY YEARS

· HE PROPHESIED AT THE SAME TIME AS ISAIAH

· HOSEA’S MARRIAGE WAS AN ALLEGORY OF GOD’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL

· MAJOR TRUTHS OF THE BOOK:

o GOD SUFFERS WHEN HIS PEOPLE SIN

o GOD HATES SIN

o GOD LOVES HIS PEOPLE SO MUCH, THAT HE SEEKS TO SAVE THEM

o GOD’S LOYAL LOVE TO HIS COVENANT PEOPLE DESPITE IDOLATRY

A) HOSEA 1: CONNECT TO THE CALL THROUGH OBEDIENCE

· GOD CALLS HOSEA: HE INVOLVES HIM IN HIS MISSION

· GOD CALLS HOSEA TO A DIFFICULT TASK

· GOD CALLS HOSEA TO A DIFFICULT LIFE

· HOSEA’S KIDS ALL REPRESENT THE SIN OF ISRAEL

o JEZREEL: ISRAEL WILL BE MASSACRED

o LO-RUHAMA: “NOT PITIED” GOD WOULD REMOVE HIS PROTECTION

o LO-AMMI: “NOT MY PEOPLE” GOD RESPOND TO REBELLION WITH REJECTION

· GOD CALLS TO SEE THE FUTURE GOOD TO COME FROM THE PRESENT EVIL.

· WHAT DOES GOD CALL US TO DO?

o CONNECT HIS CALL TO FOLLOW HIM DAILY

o CONNECT THE HIS CHURCH AND SERVE

o CONNECT TO THE COMMUNITY AS HIS HANDS AND FEET

· STORY: WHEN I RAN FROM GOD

B) HOSEA 1: GROW IN OBEDIENCE

· HOSEA IMMEDIATELY OBEYS GOD. ISAIAH OBEYS GOD. JONAH RUNS.

· WATCH SWITCHFOOT VIDEO: DARE YOU TO MOVE

· HOSEA CARES MORE ABOUT OBEYING GOD THAN WHAT PEOPLE MIGHT THINK

· HOSEA FOLLOWED GOD RATHER THAN THE CULTURE

· HOSEA GREW IN HIS UNDERSTANDING OF WHY ISRAEL HAD TO BE PUNISHED

· HOSEA GREW IN HIS KNOWLEDGE OF THE PAY OFF OF OBEDIENCE

· HOSEA NEVER STOPPED GROWING: H3: HE BOUGHT BACK HIS WIFE

· HOW CAN WE GROW?

o GROW IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THROUGH BIBLE STUDY & PRAYER

o GROW IN OUR OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S COMMANDS

o GROW IN OUR SERVICE TO GOD’S MISSION

· STORY: HOW HAVE I GROWN?

C) HOSEA 1: GO & SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS THROUGH LOVE

· ULTIMATELY, LOVE FROM GOD WINS IN THE END

· ULTIMATELY, LOVE FROM GOD ALLOWS US TO LOVE THE HARD TO LOVE

· ULTIMATELY, LOVE FROM GOD IS WHAT ALLOWS US TO CONNECT, GROW, AND GO

· HOSEA 1:2 – HOSEA IS CALLED TO LOVE A WOMAN HE KNOWS WILL LEAVE HIM

· HOSEA 1:10 – GOD’S PEOPLE WILL BE REUNITED TO GOD’S LOVE AGAIN

· HOSEA 3:1-2: HOSEA BUYS HIS WIFE OUT OF SEXUAL SLAVERY

· HOW CAN WE GO ON MISSION WITH GOD?

o GO AND SERVE OUR FAMILIES

o GO AND SERVE OUR FRIENDS @ SCHOOL

o GO AND SERVE THE POOR AND BROKEN PEOPLE OF OUR COMMUNITY

FINAL CHALLENGE: CONNECT, GROW, GO!

Video Links for Sunday October 3

2010-10-03T06:46:00.000-07:00

Today, we are watching all kinds of videos, from Francis Chan's videos for his Crazy Love book to the gay college student who committed suicide because his friends posted video of his private life on the Internet. We will be talking about the dichotomy between the greatness of a holy God and the desperate need of a broken humanity for redemption. I hope these videos are helpful to you as we continue to seek God together. Remember, hope is always available to those truly searching for it. -James

LINK: Crazy Love: The Awe Factor Of God

LINK: Crazy Love: Just Stop And Think

LINK: Pew Forum: Religious Knowledge Quiz

LINK: Kids & The Marshmallow Test

LINK: NAMB Evangelism: The Edge of Nastiness

LINK: Sturgis Biking: Lessons Learned From Ministry

LINK: Daily Conversation: Gay College Student Kills Himself

LINK: Associated Press: Student Suicide Illustrates Internet Dangers

Radical by David Platt

2010-09-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

The following quotes come from Pastor David Platt's book. Please check out the website links following the quotes. God bless you as we press on together. -James

Do we believe the reward found in Jesus is worth the risk of following him? p162

I can imagine the looks on the disciples' faces when the next words came out of Jesus' mouth: "I am sending you out like sheep among the wolves." Sheep are among the most helpless of all domesticated animals. They are also some of the most senseless. Harmless noises can send them into a frenzy, and when they face danger, they have no defense mechanism. All they can do is run, and unfortunately they are slow. As a result, the dumbest thing a sheep can do is to wander into a pack of wolves. So why in the world was Jesus, the good shepherd, the great Shepherd, telling his sheep to hang out with wolves? p164

To everyone wanting a safe, untroubled, comfortable life free from danger, stay away from Jesus. The danger in our lives will always increase in proportion to the depth of our relationship with Christ. p167

"Too long have we been waiting for one another to begin! The time for waiting is past!...Should such men as we fear? Before the whole world, aye, before the sleepy, lukewarm, faithless, namby-pamby Christian world, we will dare to trust our God,...and we will do it with His joy unspeakable singing aloud in our hearts. We will a thousand times sooner die trusting only in our God than live trusting in man. And when we come to this position the battle is already won, and the end of the glorious campaign in sight. We will have the real Holiness of God, not the sickly stuff of talk and dainty words and pretty thoughts; we will have a Masculine Holiness, one of daring faith and works for Jesus Christ." - C. T. Studd p178

Real success is found in radical sacrifice. Ultimate satisfaction is not found in making much of ourselves but in making much of God. The purpose of our lives transcends the country and culture in which we live. Meaning is found in community, not individualism; joy is found in generosity, not materialism; and truth is found in Christ, not universalism. Ultimately, Jesus is a reward worth risking everything to know, experience, and enjoy. p183

Here's the experiment: use one year of your life to radically alter the remainder of your life. The challenge is for one year, and it involves five components. I dare you to:
1) pray for the entire world
2) read through the entire Word
3) sacrifice your money for a specific purpose
4) spend your time in another context
5) commit your life to a multiplying community
I believe - no, I know - that if you stick to these challenges for a whole year, you will find yourself coming alive like never before. You will know the incomparable thrill of being a part of what God is up to where you live and around the world. You will be ready to shed forever the unworthy parts of the American dream and hold on to the beautiful and lasting dream that God has designed for you. p186

If we are going to accomplish the global purpose of God, it will not be primarily through giving our money, as important as that is. It will happen through giving ourselves. This is what the gospel represents, and it's what the gospel requires. p198

You and I have an average of about seventy or eighty years on this earth. During these years we are bombarded with the temporary. Make money. Get stuff. Be comfortable. Live well. Have fun. In the middle of it all, we get blinded to the eternal. But it's there. You and I stand on the porch of eternity. Both of us will soon stand before God to give an account for our stewardship of the time, the resources, the gifts, and ultimately the gospel he has entrusted to us. When that day comes, I am convinced we will not wish we had given more of ourselves to living the American dream. We will not wish we had made more money, acquired more stuff, lived more comfortably, taken more vacations, watched more television, pursued greater retirement, or been more successful in the eyes of this world. Instead we will wish we had given more of ourselves to living for the day when every nation, tribe, people, and language will bow around the throne and sing the praises of the Savior who delights in radical obedience and the God who deserves eternal worship. Are you ready to live for this dream? Let's not waver any longer. p216-17.

LINK: Radical Book Website

LINK: Radical Promo Video

LINK: Radical Book & Bible Study Video

LINK: The Church @ Brook Hills Website

LINK: The Radical Experiment Website

Video Links: Wednesday 09/29/2010

2010-09-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

Our last couple Bible studies have been about teenage suicide rates and finding hope in the Bible due to Chris Brown's death this past Thursday. I hope that these video links help to point you and me to Christ and the hope and joy we can find alone in Him. I love you and I'm praying for you. Please continue to pray for Mike and Cheryl, and continue to remember those who are left behind with many unanswered questions.

James

Scriptures to Consider:

1) Psalm 22: A Psalm about feeling forsaken by God
2) Psalm 23: God as our Great Shepherd in difficult times
3) Psalm 32: A Psalm about God's forgiveness
4) Psalm 40:1-4: God's rescue from evil
5) Psalm 57: God as our refuge
6) Psalm 62:1-12: God as our help in times of trouble
7) Psalm 77: Questions a man asks of God in times of trouble
8) Job 7: Questions about God's justice
9) Job 9:14-35: More questions about God's justice
10) Ecclesiastes 9:1-10: A strange view of life
11) Romans 8:1-11, 18-28: Joy in forgiveness
12) 1 Corinthians 13:1-13: The power of love
13) John 21:15-25: Jesus re-instates power and gives hope through forgiveness

LINK: Good Charlotte Song "Hold On"

LINK: Hillsong United Song "From the Inside Out"

LINK: Suicide Statistics

LINK: Next Generation Statistics

LINK: We are not alone (from a teenager perspective)

LINK: "We have a problem" (Conflict Ministries Promo)

LINK: The Frontline Youth Revolution

LINK: Two Suicide Letters

Video Links: 09/22 Wednesday Night Bible Study

2010-09-22T14:01:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone. The Bible passage we're studying tonight is John 4:7-14 about the Samaritan woman at the well to whom Jesus speaks while he's on a business trip. We're talking about "As You Go," as in, "As you go, talk to people about your faith." Talking to people about spiritual things should come naturally to us because we were designed to be spiritual people by a spiritual God.

We will be watching a bunch of videos about Mormonism, and then transition into the very vague doctrine of Pastor Joel Osteen, and then conclude with an interesting observation from Albert Mohler. Below are the video links, and I encourage you to watch them and discuss the obvious issues. God bless you. I am praying for you.

SCRIPTURES: Ephesians 2:1-10, Matthew 16:18, Revelation 22:18-21, James 1:5, John 6:35-51, 1 John 4:1-6, 1 John 2:18-27

Mormon theology cartoon

Joseph Smith’s Story

ABC, Inside a Mormon Temple (kind of…)

Are Mormons Christian? (YouTube Mormon Channel)

He Lives: Testimonies of Jesus Christ (YouTube Mormon Channel)

What Matters Most (YouTube Mormon Channel)

Joel Osteen Biffs it on Mormonism

Osteen said what?

Joel Osteen Says Jesus Christ is Not the Only Way

Benny Hinn Confronts Joel Osteen & Oprah

Dangerous Theology – Albert Mohler SBTS

Mormon Videos

2010-09-22T09:29:00.000-07:00

Hey students. I showed you a few videos Sunday from the Mormon YouTube Channel, and we discussed about how completely Evangelical Christian they looked. I encourage you to watch more videos from the channel and see if you can find differences in theology that we have. Listen, WE HAVE TO RESEARCH OTHER RELIGIONS AND KNOW WHAT OTHER PEOPLE BELIEVE SO THAT WE CAN HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THEM WHEN THEY CHALLENGE US ON OUR FAITH!!! Help me out here...

After watching the videos, find out what they actually believe: www.allaboutcults.org

Here's the links to different videos:

"No Regrets" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BatMe89qYmQ
"Return to Virtue" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FXyPMKAfhE&feature=channel
"The Magnificent Priesthood" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j3MxNZdCeE&feature=channel
"What Matters Most" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYhDhiojBPA&feature=related

David Platt & Radical Thoughts

2010-09-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

I shared a video with you in class about a radical approach to the Gospel and what it's going to take to see a revival happen in modern Christianity. David Platt's book, Radical, has been impacting hundreds of churches. The website for the book is: http://www.radicalthebook.com. I am about halfway through the book and will write a blog about his perspective in the book. The link to the video is below, and let me remind you that we are all capable of more than what we are currently achieving.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoicm4wnQ4c

Islam for Thought Video

2010-09-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

Hey Students, I showed you a video a couple weeks back about 3 concepts about Islam that most people don't know. The link is below for you to watch again, share, and discuss. Again, remember that I do not endorse all the ideas presented in this video!!! This video was created by Agnostic Western Europeans, so not everything is true; however, I think the video itself is informative and thought-provoking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_8RoxqpeGc

2 Guys 600 Pillows: Can the Past Change Us Today?

2010-09-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

Check out Rhett & Link's new YouTube sensation video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=email&v=01TL9bUWr6I&ytsession=SOET13r6xBsU64W1tLL0XJcnHnNvwAK7Vswi3y6Uq4hTmKFb60__BrcA6dCmmajEJFYNtgfLkd4_Ie_jLW3C8oM-4Po6YCRXHWKi0WDRMbdcRkKXZ0zfb_vmlOazpPJOQcoQq6HwTOV-X28tcBCiiLZISGoywQ2Ung-1ZfUdvKwYoPk93RmmOvSgWWuWRTBVyKXvKy_nNPTp4Hk9AJl39R6dFpI_tXTrNaTspxj-quBMM46ko1MH-qYxj1me9GUadjJckeLqlcs

These guys have such a love for writing quirky lyrics to memorable tunes, and when I saw the "2 Guys 600 Pillows" music video, it reminded me of a question that I ask myself many times, "What if I could go back?" What if you and I could go back in the past and do things differently? What if we could change the memories we have in the past that we wish were not there?

Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica and says, "You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead-Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath" (1 Thess. 1:9-10). The key to our desire to return to the past and remove the bad memories we find there stems from our desire to turn from wickedness and seek righteousness that comes from a new life in Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone; behold, the new has come." Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me."

We all recognize the need for spiritual death to take place in order that we can be made new in Jesus Christ. The big letdown in salvation is that once we're saved, we are not yet perfect. Sometimes, the concept of salvation is presented to us as if we will no longer struggle post-conversion. Sometimes we seek Christ only for what He can do for us rather than what we can give back to him after we receive mercy and forgiveness for our sin problem. The problem, of course, is that the problem of seeking self and idolatry does not disappear just because a preacher dunks us under water in a raised platform bathtub!!!

I have written several thoughts about the need for repentance that I see in the next generation; however, I have been criticized for being judgmental and hypocritical, so allow me to be as clear as I know how to be. The reason that I see need for repentance in the lives of our teenagers is because I see daily a need for repentance in me. Some people might hear me challenge students to repent and believe in Jesus and think that I do not have the right or authority to confront teenagers on their sinfulness. Well, if I was confronting them as an unborn Christian who only wanted to focus on other people's problems in order to avoid my own, then my critics would be correct. Instead, I know that I am right to confront sin when I see it and challenge students to raise their standards for their lives because I am fighting through my own sinfulness and pride. I am putting up a fight against the devil who hates me and longs to destroy me.

Do you not understand that the devil rejoices as long as I am ineffective as a youth minister? Do you not think the devil would be happy if I was fired from my position? Do you not think that the devil rejoices when people focus on all the negative things like lack of quantitative growth rather than working together and encouraging and building each other up? That is the spiritual war that we wage even now in this hour. As long as the devil can keep us focused on ourselves, then he has won and we are not truly after God's glory in our church and in the community. However, if we can learn from the mistakes of our past and stand on the shoulders of the spiritual giants who penned in ink and blood the pages of our glorious Scriptures and work together with wisdom and humility for God's glory, then God promises that the past can change us today indeed! God can take the failures of my past, and use them as motivation to wake up, repent, and change today. God can take sinners like you and me and make us new every day, throughout each blessed new day so that we can be effective as Christian ambassadors to a dark and war-torn world.

So, as I challenge myself each day, fail, pick myself back up, and try, try again, I challenge you: Let the past change you today. Let us allow God to release us from the prison and torment of tradition and apathy, and let us focus on the King who alone can effectively lead us in the spiritual warfare that consumes our lives. Let us open our eyes and ears to see the needs of our community, and let us bond together in unity and love to reach out and wash the feet of our neighbors, no matter their background, past, culture, language, or religious preference. Let us heal from brokenness in the past and live for a new day where God has made all things new.

I love you. I pray for you. I hunger for revival to happen among us. Breathe, Oh breath of God!

James

Pictures: The Rebelution Conference 2010

2010-09-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

James and Ashley had a great time taking the youth to the Rebelution 2010 Youth Conference hosted by Two Rivers Baptist Church. We were encouraged and lifted up by next generation leaders who inspired and motivated us to wake up spiritually and develop greater expectations for our own lives. For more information, check out the website @ http://www.therebelution.com

Centennail vs. Antioch Game

2010-09-01T11:01:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone.

We had a blast at the Centennial vs. Antioch football game. The game ended 9-7 in favor of Centennial. We got to see Juli cheer, David play snare, and Austin block. We got to see Brandon, Charles, and Kyle providing security for the game through their JROTC program. Richard, Sara, Ingrid, Hunter, and others were there. Alesia, Emily, and Elizabeth came to cheer on the Cougars and I brought two Kurdish friends with me, Martiya and Azad, and Martiya had never seen a high school football game before. We sat with Ashley and Tobi and had a blast. See you at the tailgate parking lot party before the Centennial vs. Franklin game Friday night!

James

Pictures: AlexFest 2010

2010-07-09T10:41:00.000-07:00

"AlexFest 2010" was a local event at Jim Warren Park in June that occurs annually in remembrance of a 13-year-old skater named Alex LeVasseur who died tragically on Sunday, January 28, 2007. For more information, pictures, and how to get involved next year, please visit the site: http://www.rememberalex.com/. A couple of us went to the event for an hour to check out the live music and a few church members volunteered to help with parking overflow. I hope we can get more involved next year as a congregation.

Pictures: Scallywag the WFBC Student Mascot

2010-07-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

Emily and James were working @ the church and saw a curious beaver wandering around outside. He hid under Jen's car until we chased him back to his underground lair. He is the fastest beaver I've ever seen, and he is our adopted mascot. "Ladies and Gentlemen...boys and girls of all ages...without further ado...we give you...the great...the magnificent...the scruffy?...SCALLYWAG!!!"

Pictures: Cosmic Bowling 2010

2010-07-09T10:30:00.001-07:00

We had a cook out at Pastor Emeritus Jim and Val Harvey's house, played games, sung songs, and had a devotion on their back porch, and went cosmic bowling until 1:30am. We had a blast!! Enjoy the pics.

Pictures: Sudanese Outreach 2010

2010-07-09T10:09:00.000-07:00

Over the course of the Spring semester and part of summer 2010, we served Millcreek Baptist Church in working with their Sudanese immigrant youth. Many of the youth are from Sudan, Congo, Zambia, and Kenya. We enjoyed singing worship songs, studying the Bible, and playing games with these kids and young adults.

2010-07-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

Your Heart = What Kind of Soil?

Wednesday, we studied Mark 4:1-20. You will find in that passage a famous parable taught by Jesus Christ concerning our openness to God.

Scripture describes four kinds of hearts. #1: Hearts totally closed to God. #2: Hearts momentarily open to God. #3: Hearts lukewarm to God. #4: Hearts hungry for God.

The heart that is closed to God belongs to the kind of person who is familiar with Bible teaching and finds it boring and unhelpful. This person never changes. The heart that is momentarily open to God belongs to a person who gets emotional and super-spiritual during a Sunday service and then goes out to live an ungodly lifestyle. The heart that is lukewarm towards God belongs to a person who lives a defeated Christian life: they know the Truth, but they do not let the power of God's Spirit transform their thoughts, spoken words, and actions. The heart that is hungry for God belongs to very few people who receive God's Word, believe it, and reach out to others with the goal of helping them become hungry for God as well. The last group of people are the ones about whom other people ask, "What is so different about them?"

Here's the challenge: In the movie Facing Giants, the main football coach is living a defeated lifestyle, and his football team loses all the time: a reflection of his attitude and his low expectations of himself. Some parents get together and try to get the assistant football coach to pull a "Caesar must die," and get him fired. The football coach finds out, and he confronts his assistant with a challenge. He tells him to stop "sitting on the fence," choose a side, and stick with his decision. That is the challenge God has set before our student ministry at West Franklin Baptist Church. We cannot be lukewarm in our faith. We cannot live a lukewarm life. Read Revelation 3:16 for yourself and find out what Jesus thinks about lukewarm Christians.

Let us wake up spiritually, and start serving God by working together and reaching out to the friends of our social network. Everyone knows that having "friends" on Facebook does not mean that all of them are REAL friends. That is why we have to "like" everything now instead of joining a group or taking a side. Well, God is not a God of tolerance. He says, "I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. No man comes to the Father except through me." My young friend, decide what kind of soil your heart REALLY is and then ask God to help you be like the soil that produces a harvest for God. He will help us if we first repent, believe, and ask Him to change us. I am praying for you.

-James

One Single Summer

2010-05-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

Lately, we have been studying the Bible book of Genesis and watching how God began His plan to redeem the world and glorify His Son Jesus. One of the #1 lessons we have learned as we have studied how the world and humanity began is that sin is mankind's fault, and sin is a way of life for most people. Since I came to become "Minister to Students," the title printed on my new business cards, we have already had some students leave who used to be involved and seen some new students join our Bible studies and become regularly involved. One thing you can count on is that people change.

Hebrews 13:8 declares, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (NIV). The Message translation says it another way, "Jesus doesn't change - yesterday, today, tomorrow, he's always totally himself." We are not changeless my friends. We get emotional, upset, confused, impatient, self-centered, judgmental, cynical, depressed, and sometimes simply decide to give up on something or someone. We have seen that in Abraham's life as we have seen polar opposite spiritual highs and lows throughout the story of his life. One minute he trusts God to give him descendants even though he was too old to have children and his wife was barren. Another minute, he tells his wife to lie about being married to him. One minute he trusts God to help him rescue his captive brother, and another minute he tries to force God's hand of provision for a son by having sex with his wife's slave. One major truth we have learned is that we are like Abraham with ups and downs while Jesus remains a constant North star that we can rely on as we experience mountaintops and hurricanes in life.

We often forget that God knows our whole lives and futures. He is timeless. He knows what will happen to you and me long before we ever experience the future for ourselves in the form of present circumstances. The lesson behind this spiritual truth is that God can be trusted, and we do not need to worry. We should not try to manipulate circumstances and relationships in our favor. We can take all of our worries, cares, and confusion to the throne of the Lord Jesus and leave them in His worthy, nail-scarred hands. I pray for our youth group all the time that you will be able to do that: give God your burdens and let Him lead in your life.

This last Sunday I had the pleasure and honor of recognizing our graduates and challenging them, like Jesus, to use their education to "Go and make disciples of all nations" from Matt. 28:18. I charged these students to remember that their trust must remain in Christ rather than a secular education and career. If we are born again, then whatever we do in this short, fleeting life must be focused on Christ while remembering that our true "home" is never Earth-comfort but the heaven-city of Zion. We constantly seek comfort here in this decomposing, dying body rather than spending what time we have left serving Jesus with all the energy we have.

We have this One Single Summer. What if this summer is our last summer before Christ comes back? Remember, the Bible declares that Jesus' Second Coming is going to be like "a thief in the night." So, again I ask you, what if this summer was our last on this Earth? First, are you ready to meet your Savior and Lord? Do you need to repent and get right with God? Second, what have you been doing lately to tell your peers at school that Jesus loves them and paid for their sins on the cross? What are we going to do as a student ministry to reach out to our community this summer? You have more time than usual with school out to do something worthwhile, so what will you do with this one, single summer? I challenge you to step up and reach out. I challenge you to invite friends to Bible study and try to encourage other students to grow in their faith. I exhort you to take your faith seriously by studying the Bible and praying daily. Please, I am begging you, do not find yourself in August headed back to school for the Fall semester without making any progress in your spiritual journey or any spiritual impact on this community which needs our prayers, love, and service. What will you do with this One Single Summer?

James

The Call of Today's Culture

2010-05-16T13:49:00.000-07:00

I had a fascinating conversation this week with some students on facebook. After we talked, they told me that they did not want to be friends anymore and deleted me from their "friends" account. Basically, I check up on students on facebook, just like any other normal person to see how people are doing and what is going on in their lives. I saw these two particular individuals cursing on their facebook profile messages and making a lot of crude jokes, so I confronted them about it. I told them that I did not see Christ in what they were doing and encouraged them to stop cursing and telling crude jokes and invited them to come back to Bible study. In return, they basically told me that I was unfairly judging them, that teenagers today communicate through cursing and crude jokes, and that I needed to back off, get a life, and learn how the world works because everyone sins.

Allow me to share a few reflections I have had on this experience. First, I admit that maybe facebook chat or messages is not the best place to resolve differences with someone. I actually apologized about that, and I was forgiven for trying to change someone using a social media tool. Second, I also realize that many times people do feel judged for what they do unfairly and that is why they will cut off a relationship or stop communicating with someone. Third, my understanding is that Christians are supposed to keep each other accountable and call each other out when they see another Christian being a hypocrite. I mean, if we do not stand up for what we believe in, then I do not know why we have any faith in the first place. Fourth, all teenagers do not communicate using curse words and inappropriate jokes. Teenagers use the culture as a standard for what is acceptable rather than what the Bible says or what their parents taught them. Using the culture as a standard has never been nor will it ever be a wise plan. Fifth, even though it is true that all people sin, we are never given permission to use that as an excuse to sin freely. The whole point of Jesus' ministry was to set sinners free from bondage to perpetual sin.

Jesus said in Matthew 15, "The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean'. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean'." Jesus says that you and I are responsible for sin and I literally "put my money where my mouth is" because I talk about what I value. If I use curse words and speak lies, hate, or lust, those sins have come from who I am: a sinner in need of salvation. The process of redemption in the Bible is not to sin and then ask for forgiveness so that I am free and clear to sin again. The process of redemption is sanctification, which means that I spend my whole life trying to sanctify my life, to 'become holy', to seek to become like Jesus. If I want to be like Jesus, then I should hate less, lust less, curse less, and boast in myself less and less over the course of my life.

I wanted to share these truths with you because they were on my heart, and we need to recognize as Christians that today's culture calls us to be self-centered. Today's culture calls us to "have it your way...right now!!!" Today's culture wants you to focus on yourself. Jesus' culture from two thousand years ago is still the only way out of becoming enslaved to the call of today's culture. Jesus invites us to recognize our sin, repent of rebellion against Him, and renew our lives daily as we seek Him in Bible study and prayer.

Please, I beg of you, do not listen to the call of this culture anymore. The call is sweet like honey, but the pay off is a filthy mouth and lifestyle and fake friends. Let Jesus shape your heart, and let Jesus shape your words. I love you and I pray for you. May you hear the blessed call of our counter-culture Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

James

Waterlogged and Spiritual Fog

2010-05-05T12:27:00.000-07:00

Jesus tells a story in Matthew 7 relevant to our recent Nashville freak flood incident. From the Message interpretation, "These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit - but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards."

Whether or not we realize it, this flood was a test of faith for many people. The flood was not sent by God to destroy our city in order to find out who still had faith after devastation. However, in the same way that God allowed storms, raids, disease, and destruction to rain down on Job in the Bible book Job, God allows the world to throw storms at us because we have caused the earth's groans. If you think for even a second that we can live however we want without consequence, then you are a fool. God allowed this flood to happen because natural disasters are a consequence of mankind's sin and rebellion against God. Floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, etc. are all our fault for rejecting God and living independently of His will. The Bible can handle the questions people have stemming from natural disasters because God can handle our sin that we fail to acknowledge and confess.

Know this: many people in this city survived the flood without trusting in God and His providential care. I read a quote recently from someone unknown that said, "Sometimes God calms the storm, and other times God lets the storm rage and calms His people." When disaster strikes, God calms His people and gives the human-logic-defying peace and grace to conquer heartbreak and loss of physical possessions with faith, joy, peace, and love.

This world is not our home, and disasters make us put our money where our mouth is. If we confess Christ but mourn the loss of anything we can't take with us to heaven, then we're showing what we truly care about. Listen to me, my friends: God is love, and He is the only One worthy of our hope and trust. He cares for us, goes with us through valleys of despair, and leads us as our Good Shepherd who knows our needs and comes to rescue us from wolves when we wander off. He loves His people more than you and I love each other, and the only way to learn how to love someone more is to learn more about how much God loves us!

This waterlogged city revealed that a spiritual fog exists, keeping many families and individuals from trusting in Christ because when disaster struck, their hope was in homes built on sandy beaches rather than solid rock. Our church has been planted in this community in order to help people know how to build on the solid rock of faith in Jesus Christ: Savior of mankind and King of Heaven. If we don't understand our purpose as born-again believers, then we will simply drift through a lifetime of spiritual fog as empty shells of lost potential. You can be waterlogged AND have a firm foundation under your feet. Yet, even flood insurance can't insure our assurance of eternal life. Christ alone can help us permeate the spiritual fog and find meaning in the middle of the storm. Trust in Him and share with others the peace found in Him.

I am praying for you and I hope you are praying for me. We've got a big summer of ministry. I hope you're ready to reach out and love our community like never before.

James

When the World looks Delicious

2010-04-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends,

I have not written a blog entry in awhile, mainly because this blog has not been on my top priority list. One of the noticeable qualities of the West Franklin church young adult world is that time is "king," and you have many ways to fill your weekly schedule. School already takes a lot of time with studying, relationships, concerns about grades, spring break, excitement about summer, etc. Add to the mix the culture of after-school activities. You have got any sport from tennis and baseball to lacrosse and cheer-leading. You have got dozens of churches in the area where youth from your school are involved in all these other youth groups and you could church-hop every week for a full year without leaving the county and never attend the same Bible study twice. You have got entertainment to think about at night and on the weekends: movies to check out, malls to walk, sports games to cheer on, Sonic drive-in eating, Xbox/Playstation3/Internet MMORPG-land calling your name, et cetera et cetera et cetera.

I am mainly writing this blog to share with you my burden for you and this community. Whether or not you realize it, we have a gang called Sur-13 that calls Franklin, TN "home." Our church building is next door to a Jehovah's Witness cult. We have a juvenile delinquent hall less than a five-minute drive from our church. We have families in our surrounding neighborhoods being ripped apart by divorce and drug abuse. We have a prospect for our youth group that was recently put in jail for breaking and entering in our area. Now, think about your involvement in our youth Bible studies. I know that the call to be involved in sports, other church activities, and the endless world of "me"-focused entertainment is strong, constant, and consistent; however, I know from experience that it will not satisfy you, and ultimately, that is the big question you must ask yourself every day.

"Am I focusing on the right priorities?" Alesia Painter led a fantastic devotion at our Easter egg hunt at Scott & Elizabeth Forbes' house last weekend about how we were created to be analytical, and God wants us to occasionally stop and double check our motives and priorities. God is not glorified when we are too busy for Him and when we are so busy that we have no time to serve Him. The truth of the matter is that many of you cannot even honestly tell me that you are regularly seeking God in His Word, and that truth ought to bother you.

Can you be a Christian and not attend church? Absolutely. Can you live your life believing in Jesus without being a regular Bible study member? Sure. But God did not give Christian individuals His power. God gave His universal Church His power. If you do not believe me, look it up and read it for yourselves: Matthew 16:13-19. Jesus, King of Heaven and Lord of Creation, gave Christian people in covenant together to serve Him and their community the power and authority, not individuals off on their own so fragmented and stretched-thin that they lose their own identity in the chaos offered by the American dream.

Abram left everything to follow God in Genesis 12, and even though he failed a lot, he kept coming back to God, building an altar, and spending time in worship. So, if you have strayed from connecting regularly to God through His Word, then you need to repent and change. You need the church whether you are mature enough to accept that or not. Listen closely: We are moving more and more towards a culture of such ridiculous levels of tolerance that we are causing people to doubt that God even exists. If you do not believe me, look up Penn & Teller on YouTube, and you can find out exactly what I am talking about.

I am not here to judge you. I am here to lead you to the Bible and the God who loves you and and sent His Son to die for your sins. Your school, your after school activities, your world of entertainment, and your network of relationships cannot point you there. You need the Son in the same way that you need the sun to shine every day on all the activities you engage in that cause you to avoid time with God. Let go of this world. Flee from sin. Let God change you and seek Him. You will never forget letting go of this world and falling on the grace of the Almighty.

When the world looks delicious, remember that food only satisfies for a time. The bread of life, Jesus Christ, will satisfy your hunger forever.

Think about it.

-JPH

Be strong and courageous!

2010-02-17T11:35:00.001-08:00

I recently posted some pictures outside of our Student Ministry room of Jonathan Berlin's baptism. I gave my blessing to our new brother in Christ and quoted a charge that the prophet Moses gave to his successor Joshua right before he died.

Moses had led the rebellious nation of Israel out of captivity as slaves to the Egyptians, and despite their freedom, they continued to focus on what they did not have. Therefore, God told the entire adult population that none of them would see the Promised Land that He had prepared to give them. So, God made an entire nation of people wander around the desert until they all died, and then He brought the next generation of youth-now-adults to the doorstep of their inheritance from their God. Moses was the last to die.

Moses passed on the leadership of a homeless nation to Joshua, and he had four things to say before he died:

Be strong and courageous
Do not be afraid
Do not be discouraged
Your God will be with you no matter where you go

Those same words ring true today as we live the Christian life. Maybe you are physically strong, but you know nothing of courage. Maybe you consider yourself to be a strong personality, but you have never taken a courageous stand to make friends with the outcasts and "uncool" social rejects of your school. Maybe you are afraid of being rejected by your friends. Maybe you are afraid of becoming like a family member who has failed in life. Maybe you have lived in discouragement because you cannot do well in a certain school subject no matter how hard you try. Maybe you are discouraged because someone really attractive and cool does not return your love. Maybe you are discouraged because you feel that you can never achieve the standards your parents impose on you.

Listen my brothers and sisters: no matter what your circumstances bring you in life, if you are a born-again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, GOD IS WITH YOU NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO!!!! What does that mean? How many people can claim that their God is physically, emotionally, and spiritually with them in life? No one but a person who has spiritually died to their lifestyle of self and surrendered to God's call to live a Spirit-filled life can boast of such a claim! But we do in every worship service, Bible study, and mission project at this church. I told one of our male students recently that every single decision that we face every single day is a chance to choose to worship the Lord Jesus Christ or to bow down and worship Satan. Ephesians 6 leaves no room for a morally-neutral human condition.

Take heart, my friend. Be strong and courageous. Take a stand for the outcast in your school. When someone starts to talk about a student behind their back, point out their hypocrisy and challenge them to stop being a coward. Do not be afraid. The God who named the stars and gathered the galaxies knows your name and goes to school with you sealed in your heart. He knows what you think, and He cares about how you feel. Do not be discouraged. Life is short, but our God is infinite. Seek Him in His Word, and fight the lust of the American dream. Wherever you go, Jesus Christ is with you! Stop living as if your time with God is just another bullet point in your fragmented weekly to-do list. He is yours, and you are His. Live like it is true! Talk about Him with joy, and set the standard for love in your social circle rather than following the cultural trends like a blind, mindless sheep.

I am praying for you, and I love you as your Christian brother. I am here for you, so text me if you need anything. Grace and peace to you in Jesus' name.

Ska-Mo-Bow 2010

2010-01-24T13:22:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone!

We had a great time at the Nashville Baptist Association's all-night youth trip this last Friday night. We left the church around 10:20pm and got to the Centenniel Metroplex across from the Parthenon around 11:15 and went ice-skating for two hours. I took a massive spill at the end and bruised my rib cage. Everybody tried skating, but the popular thing to do by the end of that part of the night was to walk around the skating rink in shoes. Next, we drove to Belmont Heights Baptist Church and watched a movie called "Second Chance" about an affluent white church learning about inner-city ministry and compassion for their community. Most of the youth fell asleep during the movie. Finally, we went to Pla-More Bowling alley near Thompson Ln and had one regular lane and another lane with bumpers set up. We bowled while Richard and Rachel slept until 6am. We came back to the church and Mrs. Tracey Coulter met us and cooked us a big breakfast of sausage, egg, and cheese biscuits and chocolate chip pancakes with orange juice, milk, and coffee. Overall, the event went really well and we praise the Lord that no one got hurt (except for James) or lost. Austin and his friend Sara, Tobias, Richard, Rachel, Haley and her friend KK, and Brandon went with Jen and me, and we'll definitely have to do it again next year!!!

James

One Body, Many Parts

2010-01-20T11:33:00.001-08:00

This Wednesday, we spent some time at the deacon ordination studying Scriptures about church structure and watching an ordination ceremony. Although that is probably about as interesting as road pavement to you, the idea of ordaining deacons in a church brings out the concept of church as a unified whole.

When you go to school, you wear clothes that you choose to wear (unless you have uniforms). You get to choose your own notebooks, pens & pencils, backpack, and classes. You get to choose what people you will interact with, and you choose what you get to eat at lunch. When you get home, you choose when or if to do your homework, and you choose how much effort and excellence to put into your studies. You get to choose your cell phone and who you will connect with, and you choose what after-school activities you want to do. Despite all of these choices, you are categorized as a "student" and your life revolves around school.

In Jesus' church, we are categorized by who we follow. If we serve Jesus Christ and work with His servants, we are considered Christ-followers. If we basically live our lives selfishly and include religion as just another part of our obligations, then we are considered idolaters, because our god is the worldly things we worship rather than the King of Heaven.

In 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, God talks about the inner workings of His church. He calls it, "One Body, Many Parts." Sometimes in churches, people are all working in different ministries with different strategies to the point that they are very busy without actually accomplishing much for Christ or His Kingdom. Paul writes in verse 19, "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you!' and the head cannot say to the feet, 'I don't need you'!"

One of Satan's strategies to tear Christians apart and make them ineffective in reaching their communities is tempting them work separately. "You have your ministry and I have my ministry." We do this in the home as well. "You do those chores and I'll do my chores." Or, you will be rude to your parents, mean to your siblings, and make friends only with people that you like. The danger is that we prove nothing to others when we care only about ourselves. God wants more. He wants our obedience, our trust, and He desires you and me to work toward unity.

My challenge to you this week is to consider how you are contributing to the unity of your home, your church, and your school. How are you standing up for people who are often rejected by their school peers? How are you intentionally being nice to mean people? How are you working towards team-work rather than doing your own thing? Do you have a pray and a plan to reach a lost friend for faith in Jesus Christ? Think about it.

Taking Risks for Christ

2010-01-11T20:47:00.001-08:00

We started a new study of Ecclesiastes on Sunday. We looked at some verses that King Solomon wrote as an old man as his last word to God's people before He died. He stated thought-provoking ideas such as, "generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever" (1:4). He also said, "the eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing" (1:8). Finally, after living a life full of human-happiness-pursuits, he wrote, "I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind" (1:17).

Many of you are willing to take risks on the side of being disobedient or rude to your parents. Some of you are willing to take risks on the side of cheating at school. A few of you are even willing to risk self-destructive behavior that includes alcohol, drugs, or premarital sex. Some of you are in an inappropriate relationship with someone from the opposite sex that is not healthy and will adversely affect your future spouse.

The question I ask today is, "Have you ever thought about taking a risk for Christ?" You and I are so self-centered and full of pride that we are willing to take risks for sinful behavior because we either enjoy the adrenaline rush at being naughty, or we simply like rebelling against the status quo of authority and accountability in our lives. Youth always want "freedom" to make their choices unhindered by parents and authority figures.

King Solomon wrote about the importance of young people and obedience to parents in Proverbs. He said, "My son, keep your father's commands…when you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you" (6:20,22).

You may be accustomed to taking risks for evil and sin; however, God offers a life of risk for His kingdom. You put yourself at risk when you decide to stand up for righteousness and seek holiness. You take a risk when you break free from your bondage to sin and Satan's lies and let Jesus' blood cover your evil ways.

So, think about it. Are you willing to give up your little self-centered world where you think you are always right, humble yourself, and submit to the only resurrected Son of God who has the power to save your soul or throw you into the tortures of eternal hell? Or, will you be like everyone else your age and take risks for the wrong reasons?

A New Semester, A Familiar Attitude

2010-01-06T15:37:00.001-08:00

Many times in life, we experience new events or seasons of our lives; yet, we bring the same perspective and attitude to the table. Even though God is blessing us with new opportunities and fresh chances to get the most out of life, we fail to be all that God wants us to be because we are in the way.

On Sunday night, we started studying an evangelism tract called Your Life: A New Beginning. We began learning how to actually verbalize the Gospel Truth so that God can bring lost people into our lives. When we can share the Gospel with people, God will give us the responsibility of actually doing it. We may already know people right now who do not trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord; however, we probably feel nervous or insecure about telling them that Jesus saves!

We started highlighting important verses in the Bible that help us remember the essentials of evangelism. For example, we cannot forget Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fall short of God's glory." We also need to understand Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." A final Scripture essential to our faith is John 14:6 where Jesus Himself says, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

As you think about your impact on the lives of your family members, friends, fellow students, teachers, and even random acquaintances and strangers, think about your attitude. Check your soul and see if you are being judgmental, negative, selfish, or simply uncaring. Then, repent and let God fill you with His love so that you can love yourself and be kind and generous to others.

God loves you and died for you. He has given you this next school semester as a gift. What you do with the gift is up to you.

The 2010 R's of Discipleship

2010-01-03T15:27:00.000-08:00

Dear Young Friend,

If you have been to any of our recent Bible studies, you know that we have been working through the text of Paul's second letter to his disciple Timothy. We have been focusing on a process of coming to God daily that is essential to our spiritual growth. Because our challenge by Pastor Doug on the sign outside by the road is to "make worship a priority in 2010," we have to consider what that means and how to live up to the charge!

Here is the process we discussed:

1) Recognize: We have to recognize that we have a sin problem, and we have to understand that sin in all its forms separates us from peace with our God.

2) Reflect: We must reflect on God's Word, because the Bible is the only place to find the Truth that sets us free from our bondage to sin.

3) Repent: We must repent of our sin. In other words, you and I have to understand that we are totally lost in life without God's forgiveness, and we must beg Him for grace (giving us what we do not deserve).

4)Reconcile: We must reconcile with God. Basically, we must make peace with God by allowing Jesus to heal us of our independent attitude and commit to follow God with more passion.

5) Reach Out: We must reach out to our lost friends and family. We have to learn how to communicate the good news about Jesus and then actually share Jesus with someone verbally.

Allow me to share a quote from one of my favorite authors, Paul David Tripp, "When I come to the Lord after I have blown it, I have only one argument to make. It is not the argument of the difficulty of the environment that I am in. It is not the argument of the difficult people that I am near. It is not the argument of good intentions that were thwarted in some way. No, I have only one argument. I come to the Lord with only one appeal, His mercy. I have no other defense. I have no other standing. I have no other hope. I cannot escape the reality of my biggest problem - me!" (Whiter Than Snow, 21)

When we focus on God, we have to be ready to give up who we are in order to gain the blessings of who He is. Are you ready to do that this year? If you are not, then you probably are not saved, and you need the grace of God to fill your life. Recognize you are the problem. Reflect on what Scripture teaches about salvation. Repent of your rebellion against God. Reconcile with Him and live for Him. Reach out with your testimony and impact the lives of people you know who have no hope.

James

Why Do People Deserve Hell? (Part Two)

2009-12-11T09:19:00.000-08:00

Burger King's motto is, "Have it your way!" Little do they know that their catchy slogan provides the best explanation for why people deserve to go to hell. The Jewish religious leaders, also known as Pharisees and Sadducees, were always trying to catch Jesus in a mistake. They confronted Him in Matthew 22 with the question, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" (22:36, NKJV) The Bible book of Leviticus contains over 400 laws! Furthermore, the religious leaders had added hundreds of extra rules to their faith practice that basically made obedience to God impossible. Their question was asked in order to trap Jesus. Whatever answer He gave, they thought, would be wrong because all the laws were important for their religion. Jesus turned the question into a teaching opportunity about eternity and replied, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets" (22:37-40, NKJV).

Jesus was trying to show the religious leaders that religion does not get a person anywhere with God. He pointed out that loving God and loving other people were the two focuses of a person's life. Once we understand this Truth, then we can understand why people deserve hell. We do not love God all the time without fail. Furthermore, we do not love everyone we meet all the time. God has to teach us how to love, and we have to practice and practice loving Him and loving people that we do not naturally like. Does our culture not teach us that we can reject people that are not like us? Look: You can avoid a person you do not like. That action does not prove anything except that you are just like everyone else. But God, the Creator of the Universe and the Savior of mankind calls us to so much more than simply selecting whom we want for friends. Jesus taught that most people will not find the way to heaven because most people prefer an independent life from God's rules. He taught His followers to, "enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 6:13-14, NKJV).

Originally, when the question is asked, "Why do people deserve to go to hell?" it is asked with the perspective that people are innocent and unworthy of such a harsh punishment. However, the Bible helps to shape our perspective of people so that we can see sin as it is: an all-encompassing, self-made prison that we cannot see, but in which we gladly stay so that we can do and say whatever we want in this life apart from accountability to God and the Christian community.

Let me conclude with this challenge: Take a good look at your prison and the person you are. Evaluate your priorities and values and see if what you spend your time thinking about is really that important. Do the words that come out of your mouth throughout the day reflect a good, decent heart or a corrupt heart that needs Jesus every day? What about your thoughts? If a reality TV show could hook you up to a lie detector and asked you specific questions about what you have allowed yourself to think and fantasize about, would you want the Truth about you on public television? God wants our hearts and our loyalty. He wants us to listen to Him and spend time with Him in His word and with His people. Stir up the gift of God, your salvation, that lives inside of you and let God shape you to become the best of yourself, the person He planned for you to be.

For questions, comments, or prayer requests, please send an e-mail to wfbcyouth@gmail.com.

Why Do People Deserve Hell?

2009-12-10T08:03:00.000-08:00

As we discussed 2 Timothy 2:1-7 on Wednesday night, someone asked, "Why do people deserve hell?" We were talking about 2 Timothy 2:1 where Paul tells Timothy to, "Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus," (NIV) and we examined the process of Reflecting on the gospel, Repenting of our sins, Reconciling with God and others, and Reaching Out to pass the Truth on. Confusion about God's justice inevitably comes up when we are confronted with the Truth from Scripture that we cannot earn God's favor but only receive His grace and mercy through acknowledging our sin and repenting of our rebellion.

Well, that is probably just about as clear as mud for those who do not know that much about the Doctrine of Total Depravity. The term total depravity is a big Bible word which means, most simply, that we are not Jesus. Let us look at Romans for a minute. Paul wrote Romans, a letter to the church at Rome, and if anyone knew why men cannot be good without Jesus' help, he did. Paul used to be named Saul, and he killed Christians for a living before Jesus saved him (Acts 9). Paul writes in his letter to the church in Rome, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23, NIV). Because we are sinners (rebels against God's authority in our lives), Paul writes again, "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23, NIV). In the next chapter, Paul writes about his own issues with sin in his life, "I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do...I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it" (excerpts from Romans 7:14-20, NIV).

Basically, all those quotes from Paul are pointing us to the same Truth from Scripture about man: we are not morally neutral. We are born into a rebellious attitude, and even if we try to do good things, the good is stained like ink in water by our natural tendency to want independence from God. God, therefore, is just when He rejects us, because we first reject Him and His love by our rebellious lifestyles.

Tomorrow, I will write more about this question of why people deserve hell, and why God is absolutely right when He condemns people to an eternity of suffering if they do not repent of sin and trust in Jesus in this life.

A final story from the International Mission Board (IMB) magazine:

Article: "Through Christ, young women find way off the street"

When Maria was a young girl, she moved to Guayaquil - the largest city in Ecuador. There she was forced to grow up quickly.

Her father was an abusive alcoholic, so she left home, intending to live with her grandmother in another city. By the time she was in her early teens, she was lost to a world of drugs, alcohol, jail and prostitution.

Then, someone invited her to church. Not interested at first, she held on to her worldly lifestyle. Some believers continued to invite her to church and told her about God's love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. She eventually gave her life to Christ.

Maria says, "Jesus filled the emptiness of my heart and changed my life completely. My old life is in the past."

Now she is married and works in a vegetable market. She also helps local mission workers tell young women on the street about Jesus.

One of the local missionaries says, "For most, no one has ever told them they love them or told them God loves them."
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For questions about today's devotion or for prayer requests, please e-mail us @ wfbcyouth@gmail.com.

2 Timothy 1:6 - Stir up the gift

2009-12-08T09:37:00.000-08:00

Our first devotional thought for the week is about our Bible verse focus for the next two months: 2 Timothy 1:6. The entire verse reads: "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands" (NKJV). One of the first things that we learn about Bible study is to investigate "therefores" in order to discover what a "therefore" is "there for." Get it?

The apostle Paul reminded his young Christian friend Timothy about the foundation for his faith. He was raised to know God by his Grandma Lois and mother Eunice, and Paul was now his spiritual mentor. God often reaches out to young people through the faith tradition of their families. I was personally attending church before I was born because my mom carried me to church every Sunday when she was pregnant. I went to church every week growing up because I was born into a Christian family. Maybe you come from a Christian family. Maybe you can relate to Timothy because your parents and grandparents taught you to pray before eating a meal or took you to church on Sundays and Wednesday nights. Maybe you have received God's gift of salvation, but you are not living a lifestyle that reveals God's gift actively at work in your heart.

King Solomon started his reign of Israel as a young man. He had his whole life ahead of him and the powerful testimony of his father's faith in God behind him. God came to Solomon in a dream and offered to grant any request he could ask. In 2 Chronicles 1:10, young Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge to lead God's people. God was so pleased with Solomon's request that He gave Solomon wisdom as well as power, prestige, and countless possessions. However, over the course of Solomon's life, he drifted from his loyalty to God because of his many wives who worshipped different gods. Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes as his last will and testament confessing, "I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be excercised. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind" (1:13-14 NKJV).

My friends, God wants to do great things through us, but first He must break the pride of our hearts. We want to do what we think is right for our lives. God comes into the middle of that attitude and says, "Life is not about you; instead, life is about what I can do through your life." Let me challenge you this week to "stir up the gift of God that is in you" because anything you try to accomplish on your own apart from God and His love is simply "vanity and grasping for the wind."

If you have any prayer needs, please e-mail wfbcyouth@gmail.com.

James

Welcome and Introduction

2009-12-08T09:07:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the Student Ministry Blog of West Franklin Baptist Church!

As youth pastor, I have set five goals for our outreach to students:

First, we want to HELP the youth. We want to meet their practical needs by getting them resources for school and life.

Second, we want to TEACH the Bible. We are currently studying through 2 Timothy, and my desire is for the students to learn how to study the Bible and become Bible teachers themselves.

Third, we want to TRAIN the leaders. We want to formulate a student leadership team as quickly as possible so that the students are able to raise money for their ministry budget and plan mission trips each month in our city.

Fourth, we want to PRACTICE the spiritual disciplines. We have to keep our focus on Jesus Christ and learn how to prioritize prayer, Bible study, worship, and other spiritual activities that keep us connected to the King daily for the rest of our lives!

Fifth, we want to GO on mission. We want to be more than a group of people that meet twice a week in a church building. We want to reach out to people in our city and connect with people from other cultures and faith backgrounds in order to learn about them so that we can share Jesus with them.

A further goal of this blog is to allow students connected with our ministry to practice writing daily devotional thoughts based in Scripture as well as to update our ministry partners on events and mission trips with stories, pictures, and links to YouTube videos.

God bless you for caring about us, providing for us, and praying for us as we learn how to obey God's will, trust in God's plan, and follow God's call.

James H