The snow is not going to stop Advance >> from finishing out the "Don't Waste Your Life" series. Since you can't come to Advance >>, we are bringing Advance >> to YOU! Watch this video with your family today and take some time to talk about the questions at the end. Enjoy!
Some additional conversation: Read Philippians 3:4-11 and answer these questions:
Paul lists off all his accomplishments, but then what does he say about them in verse 7?
Re-read verse 8. What does Paul say is more valuable than all the acheivements in the world?
How much value do you place on your accomplishments? (grades, popularity, church attendance, etc.) How important are these things compared to knowing Christ?
Announcements/Reminders:
No Advance >> until February 14th... we are NOT meeting on Super Bowl Sunday.
We will let you know about baptisms as soon as possible.
The Christian life is tough. If you are a Christian, you are called to obey the Bible... ALL of the Bible. But the Bible seems to be so against what we WANT to do and what we FEEL like doing... that is because we have a sin nature. We don't NATURALLY want to do what the Bible says, BUT we are called to do it. Here is one of the most difficult verses in the Bible for me to live out:
1 Peter 3:9 - "Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it."
When someone wrongs me, the first thing I want to do is get them back. I want them to feel the same pain that I felt. I want to make sure they know how wrong they are and I want them to apologize and ask me to forgive them. So here is my question: How can we do this? Is it even possible? If someone hurls an insult at you, are you really supposed to return a compliment to them? In one word, the answer is YES.
The world will tell you that if someone is mean to you, that you should be mean to them in return. If someone hates you, then you should hate them in return... but not if you are a follower of Christ... Not if the Holy Spirit is living inside of you... We are called to be like Christ. The world HATED Him, but He LOVED the world anyways... He gave up his life for His enemies. Check out this verse:
Luke 6:27-29 - "But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you.Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also."
If we did this, what would our homes look like? What would our schools look like? What would our sports teams look like? Probably different than they are right now...
Would this end the gossip chain? Would this show the world what Christ is REALLY like? Would this draw others to Jesus? Yes, yes and yes.
Who has cursed you lately? Who do you need to bless? Will you obey?
This summer, the students from Advance >> will be taking over Daytona Beach, FL at BigStuf Camp! It is an amazing camp experience and we cannot wait to see what God does! Check out the following videos for more information. Also, click on the link below to sign up! Spots are limited!
God has given each one of us TIME, TALENT and TREASURE. But He did not give them to us so that we could spend them on ourselves... He gave them to us so we could use them to glorify Jesus. We are NOT owners of anything, but managers of everything.
This series, "Don't Waste Your Life" is based off the book by Pastor John Piper and it will encourage students to MAKE THEIR LIFE COUNT! To live with the single purpose of glorifying God in all that they do!
God will ask each one of us 2 questions when we stand before him on the day of judgement:
What did you do with my Son?
What did you do with what I gave you? (Your Time, Your Talents and Your Treasure)
Here is the first message in the three part series. Enjoy!
We live in a world today that is Godless. In fact, in Ephesians 2:1-2 the Bible says, "And you weredead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience." Let's break this down:
We all were once like this... we were all born into sin. Paul is speaking to people who have had their lives changed by the Jesus and reminds them that their OLD life is in the past. In other words, when they came to know Christ, their lives CHANGED. If you "meet Jesus" and nothing about you changes, then you didn't really meet Jesus. THERE MUST BE LIFE CHANGE! Not that you will be perfect, but you will be different.
The reason there is sin in the world is because Satan, the devil, rules over it. He is the prince and power of the air (things not seen) and he has a lot of power over those who don't know Jesus.
So, if this world is a Godless one because Satan rules over it, what is the job of Christians who are living in this world? To do what everyone else is doing? To blend in with the sin of the world? To be ruled by Satan and obey our flesh whenever we want to?No, no and NO!!! We are called to be DIFFERENT than the rest of the world, which is ruled over by Satan! We are called to STOP SINNING and then making excuses! We are to be CONTROLLED by the power of the Holy Spirit!
So, if you are a Christian, these words should NEVER come out of your mouth: "But everyone else is doing it." So WHAT!?!?! If everyone else is having sex with their boyfriend/girlfriend... SO WHAT! If everyone else is drinking under age... SO WHAT! If everyone else is looking at pornography... SO WHAT! If everyone else is sleeping til noon, wasting their life watching TV, and disrespecting their parents... SO WHAT! Be different...
Christians MUST look different. You will NEVER be perfect, but you should be different. If you aren't different, then ask yourself: do you really know Christ?
So what should we say about the terrible situation in Haiti? Why did this happen? What would Jesus say about it? Let's look at Scripture:
Romans 8:19-22 - "The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time."
The "Natural Disasters" that happen on earth (tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.) should probably be labeled "un-natural disasters" because they were not part of God's original plan in Genesis 1 and 2. This Scripture in Romans 8 shows us that all of creation is groaning in pain, as it too, awaits the second coming of our Lord Jesus.
So why did the earthquake happen? Because of sin. Creation is suffering from sin just like we are.
John 16:33 - "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
We are going to have trouble in this world. Why? Because of sin.
Even though we will have trouble, Jesus is offering us peace in Him. He has overcome this sin of this world and will reveal His victory when He comes again. At that time, there will be no more earthquakes, pain, or sin.
Luke 13:1-5 - "Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."
In this passage from Luke, Jesus is telling us that BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN... so how should we respond? Repent!
Stop trying to figure out everything that happens on this side of eternity... think about the big picture... James 4:14 says "this life is a VAPOR." Eternity is a MUCH BIGGER DEAL than this life! Confess your sins and your need for Christ! Repent and secure your eternity in heaven!
Jesus never answers WHY these things happened... he just says, "REPENT."
1 Corinthians 11:1 says, "Imitate me as I imitate Christ."
This Scripture has been ROCKING my world lately and it has caused me to seriously re-think a lot of things. The main point I want to make in this post is this: The Christian faith is CAUGHT, not TAUGHT.
The Christian faith is like the flu... if you are around people who have it, you just might catch it! The only difference is that when you are around others who are truly committed to Christ, you really want what they have (but nobody wants the flu).
Jesus didn't show his disciples a Power-Point presentation on how to care for the poor or how to love sinners... He did it and they watched! Yes, he did influence them with His words, but He influenced them mainly with His actions. They wanted to be like Him and they wanted what He had... He showed us who God was with His actions. His WALK backed up His TALK! We should strive for this!
So here is my question to you if you are a Christian: If other people saw your life, would it make them want what you have? Would it make them want Jesus? Would it SHOW them Jesus?
Paul makes a very bold statement here in 1 Corinthians 11... he says that if they want to know what it means to know, love and walk with Christ, they should just watch how he lives his life. Dang... that is a man who is serious about his faith... are you?
My prayer:Lord, I pray that I would be an example of Christ to Bethany, my family, my friends and to students. I pray that my life would be about WALKING with You, not just TALKING about You. Father, I confess my pride, impatience and arrogance. Cleanse my heart, O God, and make me clean. I can do nothing apart from Your Spirit. I pray that my ACTIONS would speak louder than my WORDS. Amen.
This coming Sunday, January 17th, we are starting a new series at Advance >> called "Don't Waste Your Life." We are going to be looking at all that God has given us in the form of Time, Talent and Treasure and how we should use it to glorify Him! Enjoy this bump video...
Have you ever been to a race? Have you ever seen the runners "Take their mark... Get Set... and GO!" Sure you have... or at least you have seen it on TV... So here is my question for you: What do the runners to when the gun is shot? They begin to run the race. Let me stress this point again... they BEGIN to run the race.
Tonight at Advance >> we had the privilege of having Clayton King bring a strong message from God's Word (Mark 8:31-35). I will say, it was truly amazing and by God's grace, 72 people made the most important decision of their lives... the decision to give their lives to Christ! (Notice I didnt say, "72 people asked Jesus into their heart"... I think that makes Jesus seem small, and He's not small... ) The Advance >> Staff and all the volunteers are soooo excited that God moved in this way tonight! We have celebrated and are rejoicing for this great night! But there is more to the story...
For some time now, the Church has been very content with just leading people to Christ and helping them realize their need for Christ. This is very important and there is no substitute for this time in some one's life... but there is more to the story...
I say that there is more to the story because of what Jesus commanded us to do in Matthew 28:19-20 (The Great Commission). He told us to make DISCIPLES... A disciple is someone who follows another person closely. Jesus wanted his disciples to make more disciples (and for them to make more disciples and so on and so forth). So let's be clear... you are not a DISCIPLE the moment you make a DECISION... Yes, your eternity in heaven is secure when you make a decision, but you are not done... you have only begun to run the race of faith. Your DECISION to follow Christ is like the gun being shot to start a race... it tells the runners to start RUNNING! Now its time to become a DISCIPLE!
I pray that those who made commitments to Christ tonight would not sit back and do nothing... I pray that they would not be "comfortable" with their decision and think its over... I pray that tonight they would BEGIN a life-long journey with God. This is the beginning of the race of faith! Now its time for ACTION!
I think Jesus is more interested in DISCIPLES than DECISIONS... prove your decision was real by becoming a disciple. Jesus changed the entire world with 12 committed disciples (11 really... plus Paul). Will you be one and make a difference for the Kingdom?
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." 2 Timothy 4:7
Why is it so important to get rid of your sin? Let me give you a couple thoughts...
1. Sin is what separates us from God. But, our sin was paid for by the blood of Christ. Jesus is the bridge for us to get back to God. Since we have had our sin paid for on the cross, we shouldn't continue living in it. It shows how much we appreciate the sacrifice of Jesus when we kill our sin and obey God. If you continue on in your sinful ways after coming to know Christ, with no effort to get rid of your sin, you are out of line with God's Word. Read Romans 6:1-2
2. The sin in your life almost always affects other people. You do not live in a bubble! People LOVE you! They CARE about you! If you don't destroy your sin, you will consistently put them in a difficult position. Getting rid of your sin shows that you care about the people who love.
3. Not fighting sin is a sign of laziness. When you don't work hard at something just because it is hard, that is a sign of laziness. One of the things I have found to be true is that if you are spiritually lazy, you will become lazy in the other areas of life as well. Those who are disciplined in their spiritual life tend to be disciplined in other areas of life. The Bible speaks highly of discipline and negatively of laziness.
4. Sin hurts relationships with others. BIG TIME!
5. Sin shows how selfish you are. Sin is always self-serving. If you have a consistent problem with sin, you are probably consistently selfish. The Christian life is NOT about YOU!
6. If you don't hate your sin, it might show that you actually don't love Christ... Read 1 John 3:9
7. With unconfessed sin in our lives, God does not listen to our prayers. 1 Peter 3:12
8. Lastly and most important, sin will destroy your life. There is no getting around it. Those who continue in a life of sin suffer the consequences (not just in eternity, but while they are here on earth). God has given us guidelines for how to live a life that is pleasing to Him. When we constantly go outside those guidelines as outlined in the Bible, we are not functioning the way God made us to function. Sin might look fun, exciting and appealing in the moment, but in the long run, it will destroy you.
If the Holy Spirit lives inside of you and you love Jesus, put your sin to death! Get rid of it! This is what God commands of us because He loves us... not because He wants to steal all of our fun. Don't just think about today... think about your future!
"Your direction, not your intention, determines your destination." - Andy Stanley (The Principle of the Path)
Have you ever... taken the time to learn about your faith so you can answer the questions that other students have about it? 1 Peter 3:15
Have you ever... thought about the fact that your friends who don't know Christ will spend eternity in hell? Luke 12:5
Have you ever... spoken up and shared your faith with one of your friends that doesn't know Christ? Philippians 1:20
Have you ever... stopped watching a TV show or movie because it is filling your mind with crap?!?! Philippians 4:8
Have you ever... prayed for God to change your heart in the areas that do not honor Him? 1 Corinthians 6:20
Have you ever... asked someone older than you to be your mentor? Titus 2:3-8 (Hint: the older person is NOT supposed to seek out the younger person...)
Have you ever... been ashamed of your faith? Romans 1:16
Have you ever... asked your friend a tough question in order to hold them accountable and keep them on track with their faith? Hebrews 10:24
Have you ever... stopped watching TV and read your Bible? Psalm 119:11
Have you ever... thought about the fact that God says He will bless those who honor their parents? Ephesians 6:1-3
Have you ever... said "THANK YOU" in the midst of a trial? James 1:2-4
Have you ever... prayed for your future husband or wife?
Have you ever... made war on your sin? 1 John 3:9 and watch THIS!
At Advance >>, it is not good enough for us to be REactive...
I don't know about you, but I am tired of watching Satan sneak up on the youth of America and set them on the course for destruction... I am tired of youth ministries sitting back and being quiet on all the subjects that are wrecking the lives of our students. I am tired of REactive ministry! The time has come for churches to quit being REactive and start being PROactive!!!!
There is a HUGE difference between a PROactive youth ministry and a REactive youth ministry:
A PROactive ministry isn't afraid to address a tough topic (even if it makes the students giggle or blush when you do). A REactive ministry says, "You can't talk about THAT in church!"
A PROactive ministry challenges their students to live out their faith because it knows they are capable of doing it. A REactive ministry treats them like kids.
A PROactive ministry is not afraid to speak a hard word to its students and trust that the Holy Spirit will work in their hearts and lead them toward repentance. A REactive ministry is very nice (maybe even sweet)... all the time...
A PROactive ministry will use the Bible to answer the questions that students are asking so they can find answers. A REactive ministry will spend a lot of time talking about general truths about God and the Bible.
The number one goal of a PROactive ministry is for the students to grow in HOLINESS. The number one goal of a REactive ministry is for the students to grow in HAPPINESS.
A PROactive ministry helps its students form strong convictions BEFORE they have to make tough decisions that could harm them. REactive ministries try to help their students AFTER the damage has already been done.
I am convinced that the job of the church is NOT to stand by and watch the enemy wound the youth of America and then try to bandage up their battle scars and help them recover. Will that happen from time to time, YES... Should that be the norm, NO!
We HAVE to stop letting Satan win! We have to equip students, challenge students, empower students, talk to them about difficult subjects, and treat them like young MEN and WOMEN! They are NOT TOO YOUNG FOR THIS!
If you are a student who attends Advance >>, I promise that every week we will share Christ with you, preach from the Bible, rely on the Holy Spirit, equip you, challenge you, try to answer your questions and face the difficult issues head-on. We are more concerned with your holiness than your happiness.
At Advance >>, we WILL be PROactive... why? Because Jesus said in Matthew 4:17, "Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Anyone can look at two choices that are drastically different and choose which one looks and sounds more appealing... When I look at juicy Fillet Mignon from Ruth Chris Steakhouse and slab of mystery meat from the school lunch line, I would pick the fillet every time. If I want to go for a swim and I have a choice between a gator-infested pond or a nice pool in a millionaire's back yard, I am picking the pool. These choices are easy. There is no comparison.
It is the same way with heaven and hell. One of them is eternal place of suffering that is associated with suffering, fire, destruction, weeping, gnashing of teeth, and eternal, conscious punishment, and the other is associated with eternal bliss... I don't know about you, but I know which one I would choose... HEAVEN! That was easy... next question...
There is only one problem with this illustration - - - heaven was not created for people who simply DON'T want to go to hell. Heaven was created for the worship of a mighty, powerful and awesome God. Those who love God will be with Him in heaven.
God doesn't get excited about someone choosing Him because they want to avoid hell... He is not a fire insurance policy... He is a loving God who cared about us so much that He made the ultimate sacrifice for us and sent His Son to die a criminal's death on a cross for our sins. 1 John 4:19 says, "We love Him because He first loved us." We love Him because He is worthy to be praised and He didn't leave us or forsake us in our helpless state of sin. We should love and appreciate Him because of what He did for us, not because we don't want to go to hell...
You can be sure of this... there will be no room in heaven for people who simply didn't want to go to hell. But there will be room for anyone who truly knows God the Father through a relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ...
Its not about choosing the better of two options... its about loving Jesus... So, do you love Him or do you want to avoid hell?
