A Call to Action

I was having lunch with 2 good friends yesterday and we got to talking about how we know when we have fullfilled our calling.

I may be totally wrong in this, but something in my gut says I'm not.

I don't think we are ever done with our calling and if we think we are, we aren't looking hard enough.

Anytime there is a need, are we not called to fill that need?

My office is about half a mile off I35. For those of you not from the south, I35 is the main highway between Dallas and Oklahoma City and connects to I40 which will take you across the US while I35 will take you straight up from Mexico almost to the Candian border (you hit a great lake before the border though!).  I say all this to say I work just off a major highway and there is a gas station on the other side of the highway so we get a lot of on-off traffic at this particular exit including trucks due to a distribution center next door as well.

Recently we have had a couple that has shown up on the southbound exit. One of them will stand there at a time, with their van on the off ramp, usually with their dog in tow (or if it is the lady inside her shirt sticking its head out out), holding a sign saying they are broken down and don't have enough money, please help.

I noted how they would be there for 2-3 days at a time, dissappear over the weekend, and then they had reappeared the next week in the same spot, althernating between the woman and the man.

My point was, I feel called to do something, not necessarily give them money but to do something, even if I don't (which shamefully I usually don't). I have given them a bag of food but that is about it.

Everytime we are called to serve, we are supposed to serve. We, I, rationalize it away saying "oh, I don't know what they will do with it," or, "they are just scamming for money." Who am I to judge their actions? I haven't spoken with them long enough to know their story. What I know is what I have observed.

So we aren't ever done. As long as we are here, we are to keep our eyes and our hearts open, to go where we are called and to serve where there is a need.

Even when it isn't convient for us, even when it makes us uncomfortable, even if I just don't want to. I am call to, and I hope that I can and will make the right choice and listen to God next time I see a need and I will be HIS hands and feet. Will you?

Ladies Day

This was a mulitiple part lesson that took place at Memorial Road on Monday morning. We met at 7:30 at our church and carpooled up, taking 3 seperate vehicles, we had a total of 6 that came for the main day lectureship. Here are some of the notes from the Ladies Day.

Donna Smith from Bixby C of C
Preparing for the future by looking to the Past

Hebrews 11

11.1 Confidence and conviction- acting without seeing results or acting in ways that are inexplicable to those without faith.
Windshield and rear view mirror. Are you so focused on the past that you can’t see where you are heading or are you so focused on where your going you pay no attention to danger that could have been avoided? We have to have balance, not forgetting, but looking forward.

From rubble came rubies- Bathsheba and Rahab were in the lineage of Jesus. Mary was shameful even though she had done nothing wrong.

Sarah Andrews missionary in Japan in 1916 and many people today still credit their Christianity to Sarah reaching their parents or grandparents, she went through all kinds of persecution including prison.

Irene Gatewood missionary in Germany 1948 founded Gamunden which is still used to this day as a retreat facility for the church all over Europe (I have been many times!).

Ephesians 2:10

Hebrews 12.1-3 cloud of witnesses

Psalm 23

Use the past in the present to impact the future. Share your story. It is yours to tell and no one else’s.





Phyllis Allen Memorial Road C of C

Preparing by embracing our roles in the church

 Jesus had a special bond with many women- Mark 16.9 he drove the demons out of Mary Magdalene.

Jesus used women in illustrations all the time and wanted them to hear his teachings.

He engaged women in their place- he met them where they were and helped them to serve. He saw women as having high value with unique gifts.

1 Tim 2:11-12
A woman should:
    Learn in quietness- does not mean silent but don’t be protesting or quarrelsome- no gossip or slander but serious studies.
    Not teach men in worship- not silent but not asserting authority.
    Not have authority over a man in worship. Titus 2:3-4 2 Tim 3.14 teach at home and teach younger women. Don’t overstep the men. Women are not meant to take over Gal 3.28 we are all equal in Gods eye.

Isaiah 58.8 Got has a plan and he’s got it all worked out

Find ways to serve where you are and with what you are already doing. There are always things that need to be done.




Mary Brookman Memorial Rd C of C
Preparing for the future by preparing through our children
Deuteronomy 6.5-7 Love with all your heart and your strength. Take care of your own faith first, model it before you teach it.

Exodus 3.4, 11.14 Become a “yes” woman. Saying yes to God is saying no to self and God has bigger plans than we do.

Learn to LET GO.

1 Sam 1. 27-38 Give them back to God, children are gifts from God but they are still his, we are stewards of them not owners.
Hebrews 11.13-16





Nancy Hartman Memorial Rd C of C
Preparing for the future by preparing through our children pt 2

Everyone needs to know how to process life. Life will be disappointing, unfair and hard. Teach them to look up to God and know they will get through.

Help them thing through the why of things happening even in the bible stories, how did these people feel in this situation.

Teach them to look in at their own hearts and their own motives- how am I spiritually, physically, and emotionally.

Talking to Brick Walls by Mike Donahue

Empowering youth to face battles- make sure they can share without fear, make sure they know who they are in Gods eyes. Who and whose they are.

Teach them to look out for others- make sure the older ones look out for the younger ones. Walk alongside them.

Make sure you and they know there is no failure beyond what God can use.





Barbara Duncan Memorial C of C Houston
Preparing for the future by doing battle with the devil

Ephesians 6.10-18

Secularism is a world without God which is chaos.

Busyness takes over and the devil flies in.

Stay focused on God and his will.

Don’t let any seeds of doubt grow.

 “The good is the enemy of the best” NT Wright

We must educate ourselves about Christ.

Do you know where you’re going and do you want to know?

Apathy or lack of concern- if we don’t care than someone else who does will come in. We must be joyful and faithful.

We must desire for others to be with Jesus too.



Monday was a great day of fellowship- I was able to hear some amazing stories of how and where God is working. I look forward to seeing what else he has in store!

OC Lecturship

Sunday Night Kent Allen was the keynote speaker, here are a few notes from his lesson over the past, present, and future of the church.
1.) Minister in the Holy Spirit- persue him and his will Acts 4: 8-13 Acts 4
2.) Maintain a warm fellowship Acts 2.42-47 Acts 2
3.) Small groups Acts 2.46-47. They geniuenly enjoye being together and were able to grow be inviting people not to a "service" or a "tradition," but rather into their homes, into their lives. Be open about your faith by being open about yourself.
4.) Enlarge our vision of God Acts 4.24-26 God can do anything, we are the ones who put the limits on Him. Let Him work and get Him out of the box.
5.) Understand there is power in prayer. In the book of Acts it says "they prayed" 48 times. We must maximize our prayer and be generouse with it Acts 4.31.
6.) Equip and empower every member for ministry. If a church isn't growing it isn't healthy and there will always be problems. People have to be mobilized to serve. God exspects more out of us than to show up and give. We are not an audience, we are an army. Acts 6.1-6 Acts 6
7.) Advance with God's mission in ministry. Remember the commission and have a calling to share the faith. It took persecution in the early church to send people. Jesus came to give life, not have meetings. Work and family are the 2 places we spend the most time and those are both the largest fields we are calle to. It isn't "come and hear" but rather "go and tell". It will always boil down to telling someone about Jesus. Let your light shine. Acts 8.1-4 Acts 8

I've had it all wrong....

Yesterday I was able to attend the Oklahoma Christian University (OC) Lectureship and what a blessing that was! But shamefully, I feel I need to admit, what I was looking forward to the most was the guest speaker that evening, Missy Robertson. You see Missy is the wife of Jase Robertson one of the many stars of the hit reality tv show Duck Dynasty. There was a lot of buzz about her coming and I was excited to hear what she had to say.

Missy was coming for dinner, She Speaks. I made a sign up on the church bulletin board, if you wanted a spot you have to sign up because they would sell out. Sell out they did, but not before I had our 16 tickets reserved.

Dinner didn't start until 5:30 but the Lectureship was still going which meant there was a lot of great speakers I could go listen to. I was able to attend the Area Wide Teen Gathering with some of the youth from our church Sunday night and hear the first keynote speaker, Kent Allen, from Memorial Road Church of Christ. He did a wonderful job and spoke about how as a church it is our responsibility to not be an audience in our faith but rather an army. We are not to come, listen, criticize, leave and forget what we just heard that we disagreed with. We are to come, be motivated, encouraged, empowered, and then go to battle until we are together again. We are to be an army not an audience. It was a great lesson and I will post some of my favorite notes from the lectureship soon.

Monday morning they offered a Ladies Day. The entire theme of the lectureship was the future of the church, so I was fairly excited to go to the ladies day to hear more effective ways to serve. We loaded up and left around 7:30 that morning to make it up in time to start and man did we have some great speakers. Again, notes to come soon!

Some of our ladies went out and enjoyed a nice lunch and chatted then we returned to hear a few more lessons. But the big even was to come. I sat through a Restoration of the New Testament Church lessons which was interesting but not what I was really looking forward to.

The next 2 hours were Q & A so we slipped out and visited the bookstore then just chatted until it was time to find the rest of our group before the big dinner!

We got there early, eagerly waited to get our seats. Right before we began in came Missy with a small crowd around her. They ushered her in the back door where we were clearly not welcome for a few minutes and then out to their table at the front of the venue. The welcome began promptly at 5:30 and it went all right from there.

Missy gave a decent lesson, the best part was her daughter, Mia, talking about herself and then singing for us. I wasn't expecting the singing at all. It was Missy, her mother, and Mia. It was beautiful. Thank you, here's your gift bag, and they were escorted back out the same door in which they came with while we were watching a clip of next years speaker. As I was watching this clip, and being oddly hyper aware of everything going on, I realized how wrong I had been.

For well over a month, I had anxiously awaiting this dinner to hear what words of wisdom that Missy had to pass to us. I guess I had it all built up, I mean, here we have a family of Christians that have wowed the entertainment industry with their humor and faith and no one can really explain.
It was anticlimactic. But what I really enjoyed, was every other single speaker that I heard that day!

No-body people, teachers, moms, preachers, missionaries. People the rest of the world will never find important, they shared hope. They shared their hope for our church, for the future of our church. It was amazing.

So there I sat, in a gym with 800 other people, watching the lady I had been anxiously waiting to see for some time now leaving like we had the plague, and listening to Nika Maples tell part of her amazing story and realized that I had once again put my hope in man instead of in God. And yet again, I was disappointed and God made his point.

I heard some amazing lessons from some great people, I learned more in all the little speakers that were just side dishes to what I thought was the main course.

Refocus and start again. Today, I will do better.

Hallelujah

This was a post I did while I was still in Germany, you can find the original link here: http://sarahbingermany.blogspot.com/2010/08/zoti-qofte-levduar-albanian-arabic.html

This was a neat deal then and I thought I would share it with you now- enjoy!


zoti qoftë lëvduar Albanian
هللويا الشكر لله Arabic
Алелуя Bulgarian
哈利路亚 Chinese
aleluja Croatian
aleluja Czech
Hallelujah Danish
Hallelujah Dutch
hallelujah English
halleluuja Estonian
hallelujah Filipino
Hallelujah Finnish
alléluia French
Halleluja German
αλληλούια Greek
הללויה Hebrew
हलिलुय Hindi
Алелуя Hungarian
pujian kpd Tuhan Indonesian
hallelujah Italian
ハレルヤ Japanese
할렐루야 Korean
Halleluja Norwegian
هللویا Persian
Alleluja Polish
aleluia Portuguese
Aleluia Romanian
аллилуйя Russian
алелуја Serbian
aleluja Slovak
aleluya Spanish
Haleluya Swahili
halleluja Swedish
คำอุทานสรรเสริญพระผู้เป็นเจ้า Thai
elhamdülillah Turkish
алілуя Ukrainian
bài hát ca ngợi Vietnamese
haleliwia Welsh
כאַלאַלויאַ Yiddish

a shout or song of praise to God.

Its nice to know no matter the language, the meaning of the word is the same

YOLO/Carpe Diem

This is your shot.

This is your life. This is your one chance to change the world. To allow Christ to work in you and through you to change the world.

You could be the next one to die in this church. At your school. In your family. In this room. You may not be. It doesn’t really matter does it?

Revelations 3:1-6 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. ² Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. ³ Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

⁴ Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. ⁵ The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. ⁶ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
 

The church in Sardis was active, that wasn’t the problem, it was where they were with God. It matters where our hearts are. We can do all the service in the world, but if we are dead spiritually it doesn’t matter. Find those who are like minded and bond together (your peers) and make a pact to grow together and share Christ’s love.

What you do today makes a difference, someone is watching. Your peers, your family members, your neighbors. But it’s not only about being a nice person, you need to be able to share the gospel with them as well.

1 Corinthians 3:13-15  their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. ¹⁴ If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

It isn’t only ourselves we need to worry about. We have to realize that today could be it. We have to believe it enough that it changes how we live.

Think of life as a movie. You aren’t the star, God is. You are but a minor role in the big picture. You are the back of a head in a blip of a scene. Never the less, you play a MAJOR role in the here and now. You are in the movie. You need to be there/here to make the whole thing flow.

We aren’t here today to feel warm and fuzzy. We are here because it is too important not to be. We come here to be energized, revived, restored, and renewed. This is your core group ladies, the ones sitting here are this table. These are the people you talk to when you need to vent, when you need encouragement. These are also the ones who you will change this church with. The ones you will change this city with. God is already working in you and through you, allow Him to use you in every aspect of your life.

All that said- how are you living your life? What statement is your life making? Are you making an impact?

What are some service ideas you have? Who are they going to benefit? I can give yall things to do all day long, but I want you to do something you feel like your making a difference with.

Who can we help?
What will we do?

What will it do for them?
What will it take to do it?

How to study- Intro to Luke

Our lesson on Sunday was about faith- is faith enough for our Christian walk? What about actions, if we do good deeds our entire life is that enough for our Christian walk? Why do we need both?

We have to have a balance of faith and action. You can argue the bible until you are blue in the face, but if you are a jerk about it or you are trying to prove a point (even if you are right) you have already lost that battle.

What about if you have a life of action- why do we do good work? What is the point? Are you doing it because it is the right thing to do? How about because it’s what Jesus would have done? What is your answer when someone asks why you have done something good? What about when they call you out on something you shouldn’t have been doing?

We need to have a balance of faith and knowledge, it doesn’t matter if you have all the right answers if your actions don’t follow your teachings, and vice versa, it doesn’t matter if you do all of the good in the world if your faith isn’t there.

The Bible as a whole is an onion, every time you read it you are going to pick up something new from it.  Something is going to speak to you.  The goal for our new study is for you, each of you, to be able to read a scripture, understand it, and then explain it to someone else in a way they can understand. And yes, we are going to practice!

So lets get going- we are going to pair off and I’ll put you in pairs. I need everyone to put their phones up here please.  I’ve put some out some Bibles, reference books, articles, and fact sheets to help you- you can use anything you can find in here to answer your questions except each other! Now sharing answers yet! Team that finds the most right answers first wins!

I printed out a seperate sheet with each of the questions (no answers of course) and had enough for all of the girls to have a copy. At the end we went through the answers and how they found some of them.

Who is Luke, give some background?  Doctor- never married- not an apostle

Why is the book of Luke included in the gospels? When was it written? Includes the most details and before 70AD but exact time not known.

What are some of the stories that are only in Luke and not in the other gospels?  

What are some key verses (scriptures) in Luke?  

Who are some of the main people in Luke (Jesus is not the correct answer….)?

What makes Luke different from other gospels?

What is Luke’s emphasis in his gospel? Jesus’ humanity and his relationships with people.

What was Luke’s favorite term for Jesus (how did he refer to him the most)? Son of Man

What verse sums up the first thirty years of Jesus’ life? Luke 2:52

Who is Barabbas and what is his significance? The one who should have died instead of Jesus, guilty of the same crime Jesus was accused of.  

Approximately how much of the book of Luke is unique to Luke? 50%

Recap: Okay so we did this lesson last night to kick off our new study in Luke and the girls absolutly loved it! They were asking all kinds of questions and amazed at the information they were able to find! I have high hopes for this study not to mention it was really exciting to see the girls actually excited to learn and being proactive about it!

 

Purity

Relationships part 5
Bring enough roses for every girl to have 2.

As class begins, pass out 1 rose to every girl, tell them it isn't theirs to keep but they have have it for a while, touch it, smell it, really take in its beauty.

As a class have someone read Proverbs 31:10-31

I realize none of you are wives, or going to be wives in the foreseeable immediate future, but never the less this is a great scripture to look at what a Christian woman looks like. Lets break into pairs (I did 4 groups of 2-3) and take a close look, each group write down all of the Characteristics that you find in your verses. 10-16; 17-23; 24-31 etc how ever you need to break them up.

Alright now everyone have 1 person from your group come write what you found on the board in order of the verses. Each group read what you found.

That is a pretty impressive list if I do say so myself. I'm not really sure if this is an actual woman that is being referred to, or the idea of a Christian woman. Nevertheless all of this could not be done in a 24 hour time period, but there are certainly traits in here that we can take to heart today.

Take a minute and see what describes you up there.

If we are so wrapped up in God then we will have everything we need- and if God sees it fit then He will send the right guy your way. That does not mean go chase after a boy- that means keep your focus on God and he will be drawn to you. God must be your First priority and everything else will fall into place.

Lets flip over to 2 Corinthians 5.10. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

As Christians we are required to live a life of faithful obedience- that includes our dress, our thoughts, and our actions.

Collect the roses from the girls (many of mine even decided to pull the petals off in "he loves me he loves me not" and one decided if she couldn't keep the rose she would just keep the petals, let them do whatever they want to the roses but they cant keep them yet. Put the collected roses back with the original batch and let them sit there in view for the rest of class.

You can only have so many firsts. Who remembers what you did on the 3rd week of summer? How about the first day? And school- what was your last test like? How about your first test in a class? You remember the firsts- and you can only have a first kiss, the first time he holds your hand so many times. You can't get those back.

I want you all to envision a field. Now it is covered in snow. A few inches weighing down on the branches. The sunlight glistening off the top of the snow in this beautiful white field. Now imagine a set of footprints right through your field. The first set is pretty neat and still leaves a beautiful scene- now imagine 15 more. What does snow look like once it starts getting messed with?

This snow- it represents us. Once you do something, you can't undo it. You can't unsee something or take back something you've done. The footprints are already through your field. And yes- more snow can fall but as we read in Corinthians 5 we will be held accountable for both the good and the bad we've done. Yes, we will be forgiven for it, but it is still there as are its scars.

I don't know about you, but when I stand before God, I want my field to be as pure as I can keep it. Every thought, every action- its a footprint. On that same note- you want to stay pure for your husband- think about all of the baggage you will be taking into a relationship, just because you thought he was "the one God had planned for me". It is easy to get caught up in lust and not love, but if God is at the center of your relationship and you see Him working in and through you both then you are on the right track!

God intended this male/female relationship to be with our spouses, our husbands. That includes sharing memories and information, and even experiences. Now if you have already done so much before you get to your husband, yea its going to be special because its just the two of you, but imagine if you didn't have anything to compare that too- no baggage that you have coming into that relationship. Don't waste your time or the heartache if he is not the one God has planned for you. If he isn't an option for marriage then let him go. You can still be friends. Make God your priority and your relationship with Him.

Walk around the room with the roses again and let all of the girls pick a rose. Then ask them why they picked that rose. Did anyone get one that had been picked apart? Now if that rose is your life, which one has more beauty? Hold up one of the used roses- is this still a rose? Are roses still beautiful (yes)? Is it any less of a rose (no)? But which one did you choose? The pretty new one. That is what God wants too. Not the left overs.

Keep yourselves pure, your thoughts, your actions, your bodies. Stay as pure as you possibly can. Opening doors you aren't ready to walk through yet is a dangerous move, stay pure and keep your focus on God- He has a plan- trust Him!

Friendships

Relationships part 4 So how did the talk go? Who actually did it? Was it as bad as you expected? Those of you who didn't, why not?

Everyone look at your hand: right now most of you are going to have approximately 10 important people in your life and this will stay pretty consistent throughout your life. We are going to take out our palms and family. Family can be the bones underneath (God of course working in all of it!) and the palm can be filled by the 2 closest people in your life.

Your palm people are who you are 100% comfortable with they know most everything and there aren't really any secrets. This will be filled by your best friend, you husband and or God. These people for the most part, will never change.

Then you are going to have your circle, your group, the ones you are with the most and call when you need something. We are going to call this group your close friends. You will have between 5-7 of these friends at any given time and they can include your family. Approximately 3 of these people will never change, they will be on your hand for life. Then we have friends, the ones you know but don't really know. You occasionally do things with them but are not super close but enjoy their company.

Next you have your acquaintances, these people are not on your hand. You simply know them. Not everyone is your friend. You, for the most part, would never call this person up on the phone to chat and very rarely run in the same circles. You know each through mutual friends and that is about it.

I know that's general, but for the most part, everyone in your life will fall into one of those categories. At any given time any of those can change. The less in a group, the more likely they are to not change.

So as Christians, Christ was sent as our example. Who are Jesus' friends?
Lets take a stab at all the names, 12 spots lets go: (if you have enough time divide up apostles and the kids do the research!)

Simon Peter- best known as Peter and known for stepping out on the water and his 3 denials of Christ (Mt. 14:22-32 and 26:69-75). Peter was considered the spokesperson for all the apostles- he made quick decisions and actions. He was a special minster to the Jews in Galatians 2:8- He was also called Cepheus in John 1:42. He authored 1 and 2 Peter.

Andrew- Not much is known about Andrew, he responded to John the Baptist in 1 John 1:40 and told his brother Simon Peter and they went looking for the Messiah. The two brothers were the first to be called fishers of men in Matthew 4:18. He seems to have played a minor role compared to his brother, but was also present with Peter, James, and John in the garden. His only vocal pares are the feeding of the 5,000 in John 6:1-14 and Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem in Luke 19:28-35.

James- also called James the Greater to separate him from Games son of Alpaeus known as James the Less. Boanerges (James' last name) means son of Thunder. Both James and John had tempers and wanted to call fire down on the Samaritans like Elijah had done. Acts 12:12 tells us Herod had James executed making him the first of the 12 martyred.

John- brother of James the Greater, known as the disciple whom loved Jesus in John 13.23. John wrote 5 books, John, 12&3 John and Revelation. John is also listed as the head of the 2nd group of apostles.

Phillip- from the same town as Andrew and Peter, Phillip is always listed 5th and had strong ties to the Greek community. It is thought Phillip spoke Greek and Phillip is the apostle who prompted the question about the Trinity.

Thomas- known as doubting Thomas. He was not present for the Resurrection but wanted proof. He traveled as far as India to preach the gospel.

Bartholomew- Also known as Nathanial- mainly mentioned in John and usually with Phillip. One of the disciples that Jesus appeared to at the Sea of Galilee.

Matthew- Best known as the tax collector and son of Levi. Matthew was a witness of the resurrection and the ascension, usually paired with Thomas. Matthew preached the gospel for 15 years in Hebrew to the Jewish community in Judea before moving to other countries.

James of Alphaeus- thought to be Matthews brother, also known as James the Less. Believed to be beheaded in Acts 12:1-2 by Herod or that he was crucified in Ostrakine in lower Egypt where he was preaching. It is unclear which James is being referred to.

Simon the Zealot- not much is known about Simon, it is not recorded that he was a brother to Jesus from Joseph but it is believed they are related possibly as cousins.

Judas Iscariot- known for betraying Jesus and believed to have hung himself for guilt. Judas in many modern languages means traitor.

I know that was a lot of information really fast. But the point of today's lessons is who are your 12? Are they a good example for you and are you for them? Who's list are you on? What are your bonds with people and where do you stand? Know who you are and know who you are dealing with.

Fully Devoted

Relationships part 3 Did ya'll talk to anyone over the past two weeks about where you are in your walk? How was it? Red Song Books pg 25 Pierce My Ear lets read through the lyrics and talk about them. Pierce my ear, O Lord, my God. Take me to Your door this day. I will serve no other god. Lord, I'm here to stay. For You have paid the price for me. With Your blood You ransomed me. I will serve You eternally. A free man I'll never be. What does this song mean? During Jesus' time, to show you were a slave one would have a pierced ear. It was a sign of sumbmission. By telling the Lord to peirce my ear that means we willingly give our lives to Christ- we give Him our all. We are fully devoted. Lets look up Proverbs 27.17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Now Galatians 6.2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. So, we are here to keep each other sharp, to know what is right and wrong and to hold each other accountable AND to help carry our brother and sister's burden! You know- I just signed up for DirecTV today. It was installed this afternoon, I felt a little weird signing up for a 2 year commitment. Have any of you made any type of long term commitment before? The biggest commitment I ever made was to Christ, and then to Germany, and then probably choosing OC for school. I never realized how much it was going to mean, how much it would change when I made a commitment to Christ when I was 18. It all fell into place, I didn’t understand it, and it was frustrating at times, but I always knew He was in control. I’ve told you guys before, the scariest thing I have ever done is walk through the security gates on my way to Germany. But I KNEW that was what I was supposed to do. I can’t even imagine my life had I not made that commitment to Christ. I wouldn’t have chosen OC, (and let me make this clear now, I’m not saying not choosing a Christian school is a bad thing!), I wouldn’t have met the Christian friends that I have now, that I needed so desperately at the time, I wouldn’t have gone to Germany and I know I wouldn’t be sitting here with you all today. God has a plan. He loves us more than we could ever imagine. Lets read some of the verses we picked out last week: I need 3 Readers for me: 1 in Romans, Ephesians, and 1 in 1st John: Romans 5:5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. , Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.; Romans 8:30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Ephesians 2:4-5 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved., Eph 5:2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 1 John 3:1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.; 1 John 4:9-10 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Lets all flip to 2 Tim 1 8-12So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. 9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. You are not your own. Now lets go to 1 Corinthians 6 verses 18-20 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. You are not just making decisions for you right now. You are making decisions for the other person when you say something is okay. You are making decisions for your future children and the influence you leave them. You are making decisions for your friends right now. The way YOU act affects other people. What YOU do- MATTERS. I know I am the worst about thinking, Oh this doesn’t matter, you know what, it does! Even if no one is watching, if no one sees, be it Sexually or just generally, it does matter! God still knows. To defile your mind, your thoughts, your bodies, is a slap in the face to the God that has pursued you with everything He has and who loves you more than you could ever imagine. Flip to Colossians 3, will someone read 1-11 and then another 12-17 please. God has a plan for you, for your life. It is better than you could ever imagine! But you have to do it his way! In Philippians 3 verse 3 For it is WE who are the circumcision, We who worship by the Spirit of God who glory in Christ Jesus and We who put no confidence in the flesh. We are the ones who are here to worship, if you are going to do it, do it with everything you have, it is easy to place emphasis on religious effort (confidence in the flesh) than on our faith, but it is our faith that matters to God, not what we are wearing on Sunday morning or if we show up, it is where our hearts are. Lets move over to verse 13 now, Brothers (or sisters) I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it (no confidence in the flesh). But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Put behind you what is behind you. Live today for today and live it for the glory of God. The decisions you make today are who you are going to become. Yes, your personality is going to change a lot in the next few years but you are shaping YOUR future. Let God be the one who shapes it! Let Him be the one guiding you! Last one, lets flip to Philippians 2:2-4 Then make my joy complete by being like minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. It isn’t just about You. We are here for each other. We depend on each other. None of us are perfect. Being like-minded means when you mess up, you get back up and your help other up and keep going. Lets say one of you found out you were pregnant. Would you just turn your back on them? Would you ignore them? Or would you love them? What about if someone lied? Would you turn your back on that person? Of course not, we seem to prioritize sin. This is worse than that and so on. Sin is sin one way or the other. We are here for each other. We love each other and we help each other. The church is made up of people striving to be as Christ like as we can be. Will we mess up? Daily! But we keep going and we help each other as much as we can! If you haven’t already spoken with someone about your walk, I want you to. I’ll talk to you, 95% of the people in this building would love to talk to you about it! You won’t regret it I promise, it is the most important thing you will ever do.