You Are Not Your Own – The Pursuit of Righteousness

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. ¹³ “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. ¹⁴ And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. ¹⁵ Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!¹⁶ Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” ¹⁷ But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. ¹⁸ Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, ²⁰ for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. “– 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 (ESV)

There are 2 main Biblical truths found in this passage of Scripture: “All things are lawful for me – but not all things are helpful” (v. 12) and “Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit” (V. 19a). But you can’t just start with trying to apply these Biblical truths to your life without first recognizing what verses 19 & 20 teach. There we read, “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

We are the Lord’s, both by creation and redemption. Jesus loved us and bore our sins on His body on the cross, therefore we no longer think of our lives as our own. When you submit your life to Jesus as Savior (one who brings salvation)… you must submit yourself to Him as Lord (ultimate authority). You cannot have Jesus as a Savior without Him being your Lord. The two cannot be separated.

We fight long and hard to have the rights we think we deserve. We want our way. We don’t like being told what we can or cannot do. This reveals the true nature of our sinful hearts. We care more about US than we do about CHRIST IN US. Because of the saving grace of Jesus, my life is no longer my own, so I am no longer able to live only thinking about what I want. The life of a believer must display the Gospel and its continual sanctification (the process of becoming more like Christ). In our greatest moments, we boast Christ. In our weaknesses, we boast Christ because our insufficiencies are hidden in the sacrifice of Jesus (through repentance, asking forgiveness, humility, etc.). (See Ephesians 2:8-10).

The amazing thing about the Gospel is GRACE. You see, we will never be perfect (Philippians 3:12-16). We will fail every day. But the grace of Jesus covers our failures and reminds us of our constant need of Jesus. If we only focus on “behaving” instead of obediently submitting to Christ, legalism and pride take the place of our efforts for sanctification. Sanctification is a progressive journey that lasts a lifetime. There is no place for guilt and shame for those who are in Christ… instead there is repentance and the opportunity to run to Jesus. Our natural tendency is to run to legalism because it is a tangible way to “save ourselves,” but that would nullify (void) the cross.

Verse 12 says, “All things are lawful for me – but not all things are helpful.” While there might be certain things which would be permissible for me to do, that doesn’t mean that it would be beneficial for me to do them. In other words, while an actual action might not be sinful, yet if someone saw me doing it and then stumbled by my action, there is an element of accountability that must be recognized (read 1 Corinthians 9:19-27 for more explanation). We must consider others in our decisions and actions for the sake of the Gospel.

Verse 12 continues with “I will not be mastered by anything.” When we are mastered by something it means that it controls us – this is called habitual sin. (i.e an addiction). Some examples of this are addictions to: pornography, alcohol, cigarettes, etc.). When we sin, we choose to submit to something other than God’s desire for us. Sin is us choosing to find fulfillment in something other than Christ. Habitual sin and addictions stem from us trying to find fulfillment in things that will not satisfy us. Food itself isn’t sinful, gluttony is (Prov. 23:20-21, Gal. 5:16-26, 1 Cor. 10:31). Sex itself isn’t sinful, sex outside of marriage is. Alcohol itself is not sinful, drunkenness is (Eph. 5:8, Rom. 13:13, Luke 21:34, 1 Cor. 6:10, Gal. 5:21, 1 Tim. 3:3). For example, alcohol in moderation (when you are of legal age) is completely permissible. What must then be considered is… is it beneficial? We must ask ourselves, will my having an alcoholic beverage (even in moderation – in this circumstance / situation) cause another to stumble or damage my ability to share the Gospel? Before you act, think about the possibility of your actions causing guilt, shame or regret.

Verse 19 says, “Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.” It is not up to us to take our bodies and use them the way we desire. We must use our bodies to glorify God, the One to whom it belongs. This Biblical truth points to discipline and obedience. It’s about so much more than alcohol, cigarettes, etc. Here are some areas that must be considered:

• How is your thought life? What would your thoughts display about your heart if they were projected for everyone to see? What do the words you speak reveal about your heart?

• Are you getting the rest you need on a regular basis? Are you eating healthy food? Are you exercising?

• Are you maintaining sexual purity?

Every structure, our bodies included, has to be maintained to sustain and fulfill the purpose it has been created for. Are you obediently maintaining your body (and ultimately your life) in a way that glorifies the Lord and displays the Gospel to others?

We consider all of this because after all, isn’t it ALL ABOUT THE GOSPEL?!

“For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” – 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 (ESV)

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 tells us that because Christ has reconciled us to Himself (through His death and resurrection); we then become ambassadors of the Gospel. His followers have been given the Ministry of Reconciliation. We are to display the Gospel to the world through submitting our lives to Christ daily. A follower of Jesus no longer has the right to say, “This is my life.” We have been bought with a price, reconciled to God through Jesus, and have been given the responsibility of displaying/proclaiming the Gospel to the world.

It’s not about what I want. It’s about what Christ would have me do. Does your life / actions / words portray that a progressive sanctification is happening in you? Does your discipline / daily decisions display that you submit to a Lord and Savior?

These Biblical truths are not just for Christian leaders, they are every follower of Christ. Will you count the cost of being a disciple of Christ? Is He worth it to you?

Super Summer - Khaki Worship

this post is a list of the songs i used during the khaki worship sessions at super summer.

O Praise Him - David Crowder Band
Christ is Risen - Mia Fields and Matt Maher
Cannons - Phil Wickham
Holy Is the Lord - Chris Tomlin
Before The Throne of God Above - Shane & Shane version
Lead Me to the Cross - Hillsong
Ruin Me - Jeff Johnson
Come Ye Sinners
Everlasting God - Chris Tomlin
So High - Barry & Michelle Patterson
The Greatness of Our God - Stuart David Garrard, Jason Ingram (Hillsong Publishing)
Everything - Tim Hughes
Jesus Paid It All - Kristian Stanfield

The Village Church (click here or here for Village chord charts)
- In My Place
- Hallelujah, God is Here
- Made Us Alive
- Glorious Day
- To the God of Victory
- All I Need
- Only the Blood

if you would like for me to email you specific chord charts, leave a comment on this post and include your email address.

pastor John Piper...

i've served in full-time ministry since i was 23 years old. now, as a ripe old 29 yr. old... i continue to recognize how little i know and how green i am when it comes to serving/loving/teaching people well.

i am not a person who likes to learn a lesson the hard way. i constantly watch and observe those around me and the leaders i admire to see how they lead and what i can learn from them. i read blogs and follow pastors/ministers on twitter in hopes that some of their wisdom will somehow rub off on me.

one of those pastors is john piper. here's a letter that he sent out to his congregation. i am thankful for John's honesty and pursuit of the Holy Spirit. this letter is an example to me of humility and the pursuit of that to which God has called us (ministers and his followers) to.

to see a man recognize the importance of his marriage, family and relationship with the Lord... and acknowledge how his job (ministry) has hindered all of the above... take the bold step to step back and focus on the things that God first trusted him with, is truly a humbling reminder of God's grace in my life.

shouldn't i always reevaluate and re-check how i'm loving God and my family/friends every day? i'm so good at taking advantage of them, knowing that they are always there, willing to love the flaws in me...

i thank God for using other people's growth in my own pursuit of Him.

here's John's letter to his congregation. would you be able to be this open and honest with the people in your life and those that God has entrusted you with?

John Piper's Upcoming Leave

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By John PiperMarch 28, 2010

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As you may have already heard in the sermon from March 27-28, the elders graciously approved on March 22 a leave of absence that will take me away from Bethlehem from May 1 through December 31, 2010. We thought it might be helpful to put an explanation in a letter to go along with the sermon.

I asked the elders to consider this leave because of a growing sense that my soul, my marriage, my family, and my ministry-pattern need a reality check from the Holy Spirit. On the one hand, I love my Lord, my wife, my five children and their families first and foremost; and I love my work of preaching and writing and leading Bethlehem. I hope the Lord gives me at least five more years as the pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem.

But on the other hand, I see several species of pride in my soul that, while they may not rise to the level of disqualifying me for ministry, grieve me, and have taken a toll on my relationship with Noël and others who are dear to me. How do I apologize to you, not for a specific deed, but for ongoing character flaws, and their effects on everybody? I’ll say it now, and no doubt will say it again, I’m sorry. Since I don’t have just one deed to point to, I simply ask for a spirit of forgiveness; and I give you as much assurance as I can that I am not making peace, but war, with my own sins.

Noël and I are rock solid in our commitment to each other, and there is no whiff of unfaithfulness on either side. But, as I told the elders, “rock solid” is not always an emotionally satisfying metaphor, especially to a woman. A rock is not the best image of a woman’s tender companion. In other words, the precious garden of my home needs tending. I want to say to Noël that she is precious to me in a way that, at this point in our 41-year pilgrimage, can be said best by stepping back for a season from virtually all public commitments.

No marriage is an island. For us this is true in two senses. One is that Noël and I are known inside-out by a few friends at Bethlehem—most closely by our long-time colleagues and friends David and Karin Livingston, and then by a cluster of trusted women with Noël and men with me. We are accountable, known, counseled, and prayed for. I am deeply thankful for a gracious culture of transparency and trust among the leadership at Bethlehem.

The other way that our marriage is not an island is that its strengths and defects have consequences for others. No one in the orbit of our family and friends remains unaffected by our flaws. My prayer is that this leave will prove to be healing from the inside of my soul, through Noël’s heart, and out to our children and their families, and beyond to anyone who may have been hurt by my failures.

The difference between this leave and the sabbatical I took four years ago is that I wrote a book on that sabbatical (What Jesus Demands from the World). In 30 years, I have never let go of the passion for public productivity. In this leave, I intend to let go of all of it. No book-writing. No sermon preparation or preaching. No blogging. No Twitter. No articles. No reports. No papers. And no speaking engagements. There is one stateside exception—the weekend devoted to the Desiring God National Conferencecombined with the inaugural convocation of Bethlehem College and Seminary in October. Noël thought I should keep three international commitments. Our reasoning is that if she could go along, and if we plan it right, these could be very special times of refreshment together.

The elders have appointed a group to stay in touch and keep me accountable for this leave. They are David Mathis, Jon Bloom, Tom Steller, Sam Crabtree, Jon Grano, Tim Held, Tony Campagna, and Kurt Elting-Ballard. Five of these have walked with Noël and me over the last two months, helping us discern the wisdom, scope, and nature of this leave. They brought the final recommendation to the elders on March 22.

I asked the elders not to pay me for this leave. I don’t feel it is owed to me. I know I am causing more work for others, and I apologize to the staff for that. Not only that, others could use similar time away. Most working men and women do not have the freedom to step back like this. The elders did not agree with my request. Noël and I are profoundly grateful for this kind of affection. We will seek the Lord for how much of your financial support to give back to the church, to perhaps bear some of the load.

Personally, I view these months as a kind of relaunch of what I hope will be the most humble, happy, fruitful five years of our 35 years at Bethlehem and 46 years of marriage. Would you pray with me to that end? And would you stand by your church with all your might? May God make these eight months the best Bethlehem has ever known. It would be just like God to do the greatest things when I am not there. “Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:7).

I love you and promise to pray for you every day.

Pastor John

a repost: you are their covering...

here is a repost of a blog i read this morning for leaders. how are your covering skills?

You are a covering

from Pastor Steven Furtick by meredithbrock

This post is specifically for leaders. Not just pastors- moms, dads, coaches, teachers, big brothers…if you lead anyone or anything, I’m talking to you.

My 4-year-old Elijah has had a little cough for the last week. Nothing serious at all. But of course, it’s waking him up a lot at night, his throat is starting to hurt, and now he’s not talking as much because his voice is so scratchy.

No parent likes to see their kids in pain- even when it’s a minor thing. I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to watch your child suffer through a major illness. If you’ve experienced that, I’m very sorry. I would never want to come across like I’m comparing my son’s cold to a serious health issue. But I want to share something simple God showed me through something as ordinary as a run of the mill, spring cold.

Elijah came up to me on about day 4 of the cold, hugged my leg, and said (in a pretty pitiful tone of voice, incidentally): “Daddy, my throat just keeps hurting and hurting…did you go to throat school?”

(This is a Furtick family inside joke. When my kids complain about being hurt, I ask them where they hurt. If they say it’s their nose, I tell them not to worry, because Daddy went to nose school. Then I might wiggle their nose, maybe rub some lotion on it, blow on it, and otherwise treat the condition until they’re satisfied that it’s better. I also went to ear school, knee school, tummy school…you’d be surprised how thoroughly educated I am.)

So I performed some standard throat school techniques on Elijah, but then decided we should pray together. I mean, not that my throat school skills aren’t effective. It’s just that, I was kind of getting sick of seeing my son being sick. And something about how pitiful his eyes looked pushed me over the edge. So I told him we were going to pray about it. And we didn’t pray one of our typical: “Jesus, help me feel better” prayers. We got downright Pentecostal. I even got out my olive oil and commanded the sickness to leave my son’s body in Jesus’ name. I told Elijah to thank God for his healing, and taught him a scripture to recite when he feels really bad. I’m not sure how much he understood. And I’m not even sure where you line up on how to pray for the sick theologically.

But I know this: while I was praying the most forceful prayer I knew how to pray for my child to feel better, I realized how important it is that I take my position as the covering of my household seriously. The concept of a spiritual covering is a complicated, oft-abused, and somewhat obscure one for a lot of theological traditions, mine included. I’m not even sure I understand all of the implications. I do know this:

If God has made you a leader, He has empowered you to be a sort of spiritual covering for those you lead. Are you covering them with integrity? Prayer? A good example? Words of blessing?

Not just when they’re sick or in trouble…but are you covering their daily decisions? Are you covering them with affirmation? Wisdom?

It’s a humbling thing to realize God has placed you as a protective parameter over someone else. And you have to keep this concept in context, because obviously, each of us has an individual accountability before God, so we can’t internalize the failures of others as our own. And above all, we should never pervert this idea to serve our own purposes or manipulate others.

But you can’t get away from it- God calls those of us who are strong to defend the weak. Those of us in positions of authority are commanded to diligently watch over those who look to us for insight and help.

You are someone’s covering.

Make sure you’ve got them covered well.

if you're in a spiritual funk... a repost

here's a blog that steven furtick of elevation church posted today called, "if you're in a spiritual funk today, you might want to..."

-Pray out loud.
-Write your prayer out.
-Read your Bible out loud. Start here.
-Apologize to someone. Even if it’s not primarily your fault.
-Talk to someone you trust. If you don’t have someone, hire a professional.
-Rest.
-Exercise.
-Start eating better.
-Drive around listening to a sermon.
-Turn up some worship music really loud. Shut the door. Sing along.
-Go back and do the thing you know you were supposed to do.
-Get organized.
-Repent.
-Encourage somebody who would never expect it.
-Get back in church. Serve somewhere.
-Quit complaining.
-Go on a date with your wife.
-Tell somebody thank you.
-Give some money away.
-Call on the name of Jesus.
-Remember how far He’s brought you.
-Realize that He’ll never ever leave you.

Just a few ideas to get you started.

You can take it from here…

do they know Him by the love you share?

as i pray, read and plan for the upcoming semester... i continue to feel overwhelmed by the love of my Savior. as i attempt to prepare, this verse keeps running through my head, "by this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35). you see, when you experience how He loves you... you are changed.

do they know that you are His disciple by the love you display?

the new year is upon us. how will you serve and love those around you?

fake friends

my students tell me that they can't wait to graduate so that we can be "real" friends. they think that because they don't know everything about me... we're "fake" friends.

i take this as a compliment.

that means that i'm doing something right. that boundaries are in place. they recognize that i'm not just another friend, because another friend is the last thing they need.

they need someone who invests in them. disciples them. points them to the cross. challenges them with accountability. spurs them on in service. helps them grow.

the funny thing is... they know me. they know my heart. they know what God's doing in my life. they know they can always call me, just preferably before 10 pm. they know i like dr. pepper, enjoy cooking and like the food network. they know i'm a musician, a sister, a friend.

you see, they know me... the real me... but i will not share my burdens with them, because they don't deserve the burden. it's not theirs. they think they want to know every detail and struggle of my life, but they don't. those things are reserved for my God, my family and friends.

i continue to learn the necessity of Christian community. it's necessary if you want to grow, change and become more like Christ. God has blessed me with amazing community. A family who loves me and friends who ask the hard questions... remember my answers... and then ask those questions again.

this responsibility is not one that should be placed on the shoulders of the students i work with. even though the number of years aren't that different between us... college ministry means that i can't cross that line... i can't even have one foot on both sides of it.

boundaries. they are necessary. they are good. i'm learning just how good they really are.

what must i do?

this will be short b/c it's late and i need to get to bed, but i figured i'd share anyway. tonight i've been reading in john. John 6 to be exact.

in the first part of John, we see Jesus performing many miracles and wondrous signs. He heals. He multiplies and feeds. He walk on water.

After He fed the crowd and crossed the water, He was met by the people He had just left. in John 6:25-29, the crowd asks Jesus a very interesting question... and He answers with an even more interesting answer.

Q: "what must we do to do the works God requires?" (vs. 28).

A: Jesus answers, "the work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent." (vs. 29).

everything starts with belief and faith. my life. my ministry. everything i do.

to do the work of God... i must believe in Jesus. belief is not a one time thing, it is a constant denying of self, crying out to the cross and choosing to believe.

a closer look into my time in germany

i got home late last night after a very long day of travel. i had been up for over 25 hours by the time i got home. but 3 flights later, i finally crawled into my bed around 11 pm. i then proceeded to sleep until 2:30 pm today.

here's a quick breakdown of my trip:

i previously posted about the first few days of my trip here, but i'll go back and include some pictures.

here are some views from the hotel. so this is what was outside the window while i was reading, writing, checking email, etc...

tuesday...

we took the students on an excursion to a place called, alpsee bergwelt. visit their website to get a better idea of what we did that day. we did a gondola ride, a high ropes course and a toboggan ride.

wednesday...

i got to go into sonthofen (the town our hotel was in) and explore with some friends. we walked all over enjoying each other's company and the views... as well as some gelato.

thursday...

we took the students on a long (very long) hike into the german alps. we came across a barn-turned-restaurant along the way and i decided to stop and enjoy the view and read and write while the group continued. i think my few hours alone on the side of a mountain turned out to be one of my favorite experiences on the trip. here are a few pictures from my view:

my trip was spiritual refreshing, physically exhausting and just what i needed to help me prepare for the new semester.

to view more pictures, click here.

a random phone call... means i need my passport

i will be here in less than 3 weeks...

where is here you ask? bavaria, germany. august 1-8th, the entire Western Europe IMB missionary force will be meeting for a week of encouragement and training.

this past thursday night, i received a phone call from some friends asking me if I'd like to go with them and lead worship for the youth. the team that was originally going to lead the youth part of the conference ended up not being able to go... so my friends put together a team in just a few short week... which is how i got involved.

after having some conversations with the BSM bosses... everything was a go. i fly out on friday, july 31st and fly back on august 7th. i'd appreciate your prayers as we prepare to go and serve.

This is Super Summer

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Breckenridge Mission Trip Report

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” - Isaiah 55:8-9

The details had been discussed and the schedule had been made. The money was raised, the plane tickets purchased and training was in full force. But God had something different in mind.

After spending months preparing to go and minister to college students in Mexico City, the swine flu happened. We had less than two weeks to find another place to serve and put together a new trip.

After many phone calls and emails (many thanks to Brenda Sanders with Go Now Missions and her involvement in putting both trips together), it became apparent that God was leading us to Breckenridge to minister to Agape Outpost.

From the moment our planes landed in Colorado, the students were ready to jump in, get their hands dirty and serve. Continually throughout the trip, each student displayed an amazingly flexible attitude, especially when our project list continued to increase and change. Each day was filled with hard work and laughter, and we came home blessed with new friendships.

Our projects consisted of:

· Cleaning & organizing

· Yard work

· Painting inside & staining outside decks and amphitheater

· Replacing ceiling tiles

· Hauling off trash

· Cleaning windows

· Ministering to a church family by repairing their roof, replacing insulation/drywall and cleaning their home.

The provisions God provided for our trip continue to amaze us. The prayers and financial support we received before we left paved the way for us to go and serve. Agape provided us with free lodging, meals and transportation for the week.

The amazing scenery provided one more reminder of God’s love and impact in our lives. While we went to serve, we left refreshed and blessed beyond belief. Our team grew together through serving Jesus alongside one another, and we look forward to how our time together will continue to impact our lives and the campuses where we minister.

Thank you for your involvement, prayers and support!

Quotes from people on the trip...

“God’s attention to detail astounded us. Two weeks before we were supposed to leave, our entire trip was changed. The trip was put together in such a way that only God could receive the glory. He called us to Colorado for lessons of obedience, flexibility and service.” - Stephanie Gates, UNT BSM Associate Director

“Something really important the Lord showed me while we were there was that the He can use us anywhere and the tasks He sets before us are perfect and impactful, even if we may perceive them as small. Serving a church in Colorado was just as important as building relationships and evangelizing in Mexico City. Although it was different than originally planned, it was in His perfect Will and He directed our footsteps.” - Summer, student at Texas State

“What a blessing to be used by the Lord in Colorado at Agape Outpost. Our missions experience was God-lead, God-directed and God-blessed! Even with the uncertainty of where the Lord might place us in May due to the swine flu in Mexico, God accomplished tremendous things for his Glory. The Texas State and University of North Texas students partnered together and while busy serving the Lord and grew close together. I believe the mission trip was a great success for the kingdom of God.” - Abe Jaquez, Texas State BSM Director

“I think the overall trip for me was a perfect definition of God being in complete control. Not only did we have a task before us that ultimately will help further the kingdom of God, but He took care of every detail along the way. All the way down to the personalities of each individual person whom He called to go on the journey!” - Amanda, Texas State Student

“On this trip God just really reiterated to me how much He doesn’t need me, my talents, or my skills and that I am to rely completely and fully on Him. I thought that I would be serving the Lord using my ability to speak Spanish in Mexico City – a strength of mine. But instead He put me in Breckenridge, Colorado at an altitude where I had trouble breathing, struggled with sinus problems, and was completely out of my element as far as the work we were doing. But in my weakness He is strong.” - Jillian, UNT Student

a letter

since february, i have served as the interim youth minister for a church in denton. my last sunday is coming up, may 10th. here is the letter i sent to the parents today...

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Currently, I am reading through the book of Romans. I started over a week ago, and I’m still in the first chapter. It’s just that good. As I attempt to sift through Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, I find myself being constantly reminded of the sin in my life and my desperate need of grace. As Christians, we are good at forgetting who we really are and why we need Jesus in the first place. My heart rejoices that while I live in the midst of my brokenness, my God loves me.

In Romans chapter one, Paul spends a significant amount of time discussing sin and the fact that because we do not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, we find ourselves filled with wickedness (1:28). Paul is reminding them, and us, that if our own spiritual growth is not a priority, we cannot overcome the sin in our lives by ourselves. As I let the truth of that sink in, I continue to return to the opening verse of the chapter. He writes, “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God.” Paul describes himself as a servant; God has purchased him. As believers, we no longer have the right to decide what will become of our lives. The moment you say, “yes” to God, the calling in your life becomes evident. We are called to be set apart for the sake of the Gospel. The Gospel must become such a part of our lives that the saving power of God is spread wherever we go. You see, salvation doesn’t stop with being purchased by God and a calling being put on your life – there must be a response. That response is found in verse 5; because of Jesus we receive grace, and through that, our obedience to spiritual growth and evangelism comes from our faith in Him.

As I come up on my last Sunday with Highland, I praise God for the opportunity to come and walk alongside you as you invest in the lives of your students. I am continually amazed that God allows me, with the sin and struggles in my life, to play a part in reaching the world for Him. I’m grateful that your church was a part of His plan for my life.

I commit to praying for you, your family and your church as you seek the youth minister that God is calling to Highland. As you wait for God to reveal what’s next, I pray that you each remember the impact you have on the spiritual growth of your children. As I shared a few paragraphs earlier, because of our faith in Jesus, we are called and have the opportunity to invest in others for the sake of the Gospel. May your children and the world around us see Jesus and the power of the Gospel in us as we strive to become more like Christ each and every day.

mexico city to Breckenridge - may 14-21, 2009

Due to situations outside of our control… aka the swine flu… we have had to change the plans for our Mexico City mission trip. After many conversations, emails and prayer, God provided an amazing opportunity for us to go and serve in Breckenridge, CO.

The Baptist Student Ministries at the University of North Texas (Denton) and at Texas State University (San Marcos) will now be partnering with Agape Outpost Chapel to do evangelism within their community, as well as helping them prepare for incoming missions teams by doing some light construction projects. We will be going to Breckenridge as a Special Impact Team through Go Now Missions (www.gonowmissions.com).

Agape Outpost Chapel desires to see passionate disciples of Jesus Christ equipped to worship and to reach out to people through ministry. We look forward to partnering with them as they reach out to the Breckenridge community.

I am writing you to thank you again for your financial and prayer support. Because of your generosity, we have raised the funds needed for our trip, so I ask that you continue to pray for our team as we plan and prepare for this new opportunity.

The many phone calls and emails that we have received asking for trip updates has been extremely encouraging, and it has been phenomenal to watch as God has orchestrated the details for us as we have changed our plans. I am so excited to see how God provides as we prepare, and how He moves through the trip as we serve.

One of our students, Nataly, who was planning on participating on our trip will not be able to come because of a family health situation that has come up in the last few weeks. Her mom has been diagnosed with cancer and Nataly has become her mom’s main caretaker. Please keep Nataly and the Garcia family in your prayers as they persevere through this extremely difficult time.

We will keep the same blog address that we had for our Mexico City trip and we will update it daily so that you can see what God is doing and know how to pray for us while we take God’s mission to Breckenridge (http://missionmexicocity.tumblr.com/).

In Him,

Stephanie Gates

Associate Director

UNT Baptist Student Ministry

things they don't teach you in seminary...

i came across this interesting blog and thought it was worthy of a repost... here is 9marks.com's list of 17 things seminary doesn't teach:

1. How to tell a man his wife just died.
2. How to tell a couple they should not get married.
3. How to tell a staff member he is fired.
4. How to tell my wife that I am depressed.
5. How to tell someone that he or she is foolish.
6. How to encourage someone who has given up on life.
7. How to plead with a man to stay with his wife.
8. How to give comfort to a woman whose husband just left her.
9. How to give comfort to a mother who just suffered a miscarriage.
10. How to navigate the IRS tax code for pastors.
11. How to chair an elders’ meeting.
12. How to organize and manage a church budget.
13. How to balance church responsibilities with family life.
14. How to do a wedding and a funeral.
15. How to administer the Lord’s Supper.
16. How to best use technology for the sake of the kingdom.
17. How to shield my kids from the pressures of being a PK.

shallow by brock gill

the following is a post from brock gill's blog:

in the past decade there has been a trend in many churches. i have seen that many churches have tried to become more cool, cute, or trendy. much of this has to do with competing with the next church to keep or attract members. i have heard countless people tell me stories of how their church or the church down the road has dumbed it down to try and reach people. some call it “seeker sensitive” and others call it “being relevant”. i am afraid that our attempts to be cool or seeker friendly or whatever have backfired.(click here to read more about this)

i dont want you to hear me say that churches that remained traditional are the ones who are doing it right. i think there are many traditional churches who are guilty of the same problem but in a different way. i also dont want you to hear me say that all churches who have become progressive or modern are doing it wrong. my point is this. in our attempts to become more hip and cool we have become very shallow. the church thought that if we simplify the message and cookie cut the service and play a fun video then unchurched people will think we are cool and want to join the faith. what began for some as good intentions may actually be the absolute wrong thing to do.

here is why. young people today are dealing with real life issues. they do not want a shallow, basic, 1-2-3 sermon to make all their problems go away. they want real answers to real problems. they are far more complex than we give them credit for. they are far more hungry than we even realize. teenagers and college students are looking for the answer. they havent seen it work for their parents. they havent seen it work in our government. they havent seen it work in hollywood. and they are not finding it at church.

we are shallow and misinformed about our young people in america. are you offended that i am blasting the church? ok good. now i have your attention. do your own survey of 20 somethings in your city. most teenagers leave church when they graduate. some say 70% and some say as many as 86% of all teenagers who attend church drop out and do not return to church as soon as they graduate high school. if you survey teenagers in your own youth group today you will find that almost none of them even know basic christian doctrine. they do not even know the basics. most of them cant even tell you a biblical answer for salvation. most teenagers cannot even quote more than 3 verses from the bible. sad? very sad.

we have become so shallow and dont even realize it. we think we are having good services on sundays but the truth is, that is all they are, services. and to tell you the truth, most people are bored out of their minds. maybe its time for us to seek the face of God and quit playing church. maybe we need to rethink our entire approach.

what about you? what do you think?

now if you are a pastor and want to know how to deal with this issue i have something you might find helpful. click here.

and now to explain myself. the above post hasnt been written because i hate the church. the opposite is true. i have a tremendous burden for the thousands of young people i encounter each week across this country. i care about people. i want to see people find the answer. im just afraid that we are not giving it to them. my hope is that pastors, leaders, and believers everywhere will open their eyes to a huge problem. my goal is for you to start dialogue with people in your community. i am not picking a fight. i dont want you to pick a fight with anyone else. we just need to act.

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so what do you (readers) think about his post? i, personally... completely agree.