I have been preparing myself these last couple of days to give a message of hope. It has been grueling for a number of reasons, least of which is finding significant passages to represent the occasion. As I come before the Lord and ask what to say I am reminded of the fact that words are powerful. When we are asked to recall memories and life altering moments, the reality of words and meaning behind them are crucial. It is, in this time that God has shown me how important His word is. He has used His word and our words for many things.
1) God has put value to words such as lying, blasphemy and taking His name in vain
2) With words we bless God and curse men
But…
3) God’s word spoke existence
4) We can offer grace and preservation (salt seasoning) through words
5) Our words indicate what fills our heart
With this I can only conclude that we should be wise and developed in our thought as we speak. Remember that words can cut down and words can build up. In a time where I am asked to use words to illustrate a life I am persistent in offering grace and encouragement. I hope you do as well.
Psalm 119:9
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I have had an amazing week! This past week I had the honor of joining 23 students and 4 adults in a trip to Utah. This trip was a result of a comparative religion class that had been studying Mormonism for about a year. The training was thorough and well planned out. The training was not only apologetic answers but relational minded ministry. Bible teacher Sean McDowell and Stand to Reason representative Brett Kunkle led this trip and we were so fortunate to hear there wisdom and academic excellence.
During the trip we had the opportunity to see all the major sites including the tabernacle, temple and museums in Utah. I would have to say the most enjoyable part was being able to walk the campus of BYU and speak to students about the Gospel. As you may already know the gospel of the mormons is perceived to be the same as protestant christians. This made for interesting conversations. I want to share a few things the Lord really showed me through this experience.
1- Information without love is difficult to communicate. As we walked to campus and knocked on doors we were greeted with a great deal of hospitality and love. They never denied allowing us to enter their homes and discuss theological aspects of our lives. As we showed the same respect and love back they were much more inclined to listen and reason through the discrepancies and contradictions.
2- Information and study is vital in witnessing. With the great preparation over the past year it was evident that a majority of our students knew more about the LDS faith than the LDS church themselves. This translated a great deal of compassion and love because it was more than a knowledge battle but more of an act of love towards those who are lost.
3- Unity is key. In most of the youth trips I have led or accompanied the unity of the team has shown to be crucial in effectiveness. I was so blessed to sit with many teams of students and leaders and knew we were unified in our mission. This mission was to fight for truth.
I am looking forward to sharing these experiences with you all but as for now I am processing what just happened. Pray that God will continue to reveal His truth to the world and drawing His creation to Himself!
1 Corinthians 13:13
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Over the past couple days I have been thinking and praying through a short preaching series to start after Easter. It is a difficult thing to seek wisdom and guidance from the Lord when it comes to preaching. That may sound weird, so let me explain. I genuinely believe that God can use every single word in the Bible to speak to students. This dilemma makes series or books of the Bible difficult to choose from. Fortunately I Pastor on a school campus which allows for much conversation.
As I listen to students talk about life and issues it has confirmed my belief that they are in need of deep biblical guidance. As a result of hearing them talk and debate certain topics I am going to spend a couple weeks on Theological, Ethical and Practical issues from a biblical perspective. We will spend time studying issues like abortion, drinking, immigration, Jesus the man, Jesus the God, soteriology, sex, angels and demons etc.
I would ask you all to partner with me in prayer as these heavy topic are addressed and anticipate the Lord to work in a mighty way!
2 Timothy 3:16
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I recently had an amazing conversation with my Pastor and he told me 2 ways that burn out happens. thought I would share with you all.
1- Working extremely hard with no production evident.
It seems all too often in ministry that we take 1 step forward and 2 steps back. Just when you see something radical take place something horrific or discouraging is at your doorstep. As kingdom minded christians we must always remember that our job is to plant seed and love people.
2- Working extremely hard on a project without authority.
When projects are being done or an event is being put together, the most discouraging thing is not being able to make a decision. When you are filling a role rather than developing an awesome event. When the event is all said and done a “good job” seems condescending rather than appreciated. As we look at the example of Jesus, it will be valuable to embrace His servanthood. As christians we are to serve. Serving means fulfilling a role, in a sense. When something needs to be done, whether sweeping or being an MC, just be available.
I hope this is an encouragement!
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