268 Student Ministries

Knox - 5 weeks old

2007-03-27T07:38:00.000-07:00

Knox III

2007-02-26T20:05:00.000-08:00

Not Just cute, Gerber cute!

Knox Pics II

2007-02-26T19:50:00.000-08:00

Can't get enough of him! Here he is!

Knox Alexander Covert

2007-02-21T18:31:00.000-08:00

Knox Alexander Covert
Born: 2-19-2007 10:25pm
7 lbs. 9 oz. & 20 inches

Evening Sermons

2006-10-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

Check out these sermons by Rev. Ashton Stewart on the awakening in Iran
Sermon Audio 10/8/06
Evening Sermons 10/8/06

An Encounter with Jesus

2006-10-16T08:33:00.000-07:00

John 1:35The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" 37The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, "What are you seeking?" And they said to him, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" 39He said to them, "Come and you will see." So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.[g] 40One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus[h] was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means Christ). 42He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas" (which means Peter[i]).

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael 43The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." 44Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." 46Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." 47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" 48Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." 49Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" 50Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these." 51And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

What happens to someone who truly encounters Jesus? What happens to their thoughts, actions, joys and desires? I can tell you this much, they DO NOT STAY THE SAME! Remember John (the apostle) is this second disciple here. He is giving us further testimony that this Jesus truly is the Son of God. This is his story of his encounter with Jesus Christ. Notice a few things:

1. This event with life changing - the Kennedy assassination, walking on the moon, 9/11, these are events in recent memory that people remember just where they were at the moment when these happened. Why do we remember such vivid details? Because they were life/world changing. Here John gives us vivid details of his first encounter with Jesus, he even remembers the hour!

2. This event was desire changing - what was first on their hearts? I HAVE TO GO TELL MY FAMILY! I HAVE TO GO TELL ME FRIENDS AND MY NEIGHBORS! This was indeed GREAT NEWS that must be expressed!

3. This event was heart changing - Skeptics were turned to believers. Hard hearts were melted like wax. The proud were humbled.

All this leads me to ask you a question, Have you encountered Jesus Christ? Remember from last wed night, that we tell we are followers of Jesus by looking at the past and current fruit in our life and seeing if we "walk as Jesus walked." Look, at your life! What do you see? Has your world been turned upside down by this man who knows your name, your most inmost thoughts, your comings and goings? This man who is the bridge between heaven and earth, this Lamb who shall take away your sins and mine and give us a new name if we come to Jesus? This is what HE says unto you, REPENT! Turn away from your sin and your current walk, and get a new step! Indeed, Jesus says unto you, "COME AND SEE...COME, FOLLOW ME! "

Thoughts on Happiness (aka TRUE JOY) from John Piper

2006-09-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

There is a Way to Be Happy, Even in SadnessGodly Sorrow: Jesus' and Ours
By John Piper March 23, 2005

Christian Hedonists (Those who seek joy in Christ) embrace necessary sorrow for the glory of God. On the one hand, we are utterly committed to pursuing joy in God at all times. But on the other hand, we know there is more to the emotional life of godly people than joy. Joy is not the only good emotion. But without delight in God, no emotion would be good. Either as component or the concomitant of all godly emotions, it is joy in God that makes them good.
Consider sorrow. Neither Jesus nor the Holy Spirit has ever sinned. But both have grieved. Both have been sorrowful. Therefore, godly sorrow is possible.
Not only that, godly sorrow is possible also for sinners. It is possible precisely because of our sin. One form of sorrow is sorrow for doing something wrong. So Paul writes to the Corinthians:
For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it. . . . I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. 10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. (2 Corinthians 7:8-10)
At least two things govern what makes sorrow good. One is the cause, the other is the outcome. The cause of godly sorrow for our own sin is the spiritual perception of its moral ugliness, not just its negative consequences. We see it as morally repugnant. This repugnance is owing to our spiritual preference for the taste of the truth and beauty of God. Therefore our sorrow for sin is rooted in our savoring of God. Sin is a revolting flavor in the feast of godwardness. Therefore, sorrow over this is a signal that we delight in God. That is what makes the sorrow good.
The outcome of good sorrow for sin is repentance and holiness. In fact, repentance includes sorrow for sin and extends it to a more durable experience of holy living. This holy living is the outward form of delighting in God above all sin. Therefore delight in God is what makes the sorrow and repentance good.
But what about sorrow that is not for our own sin, but for the way we are sinned against or the way we are hurt by calamity and loss? Jesus sorrowed like this. For example, when he saw the Pharisees murmuring about his healing on the Sabbath, “He looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart” (Mark 3:5). And in the garden of Gethsemane, he said, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch” (Mark 14:34).
Jesus’ sorrow was not owing to his own sin, but to the sins of others. This is the way it is with the Holy Spirit as well. Paul calls us to put sin out of our lives so that we do not grieve the Spirit: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:29-30).
In the same way believers embrace godly grief not only for our own sins but for the sins of others and for the pain that loss brings us. For example, Peter speaks of our grieving over trials: “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, as was necessary, you have been grieved by various trials” (1 Peter 1:6). Paul speaks of our grieving over lost loved ones: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). And Paul refers to his own grief over the lostness of his kinsmen: “My conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart (Romans 9:1).
Nevertheless Paul makes the astonishing statement in 2 Corinthians 6:10 that what marks his life and should mark ours is “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” This is what makes our sorrow godly. I do not claim that this experience is simple or that we can even put it into adequate words—what it means to be joyful in sorrow. Heaving sobs at the loss of a loved one does not look like joy. Indeed is not joy in its fullness, as we will know it when “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
Rather the joy that endures through sorrow is the foretaste of that future joy in God which we hope for in the future. When Jesus was “very sorrowful, even to death” in Gethsemane he was sustained by “the joy that was set before him” (Hebrews 12:2). This does not mean that he felt in the garden or on the cross all that he would feel in the resurrection. But it does mean that he hoped in it and that this hope was an experienced foretaste of that joy.
Therefore, we groan here, waiting for the redemption of our bodies and for the removal of all our sins (Romans 8:23). This groaning and grieving is godly if it is molded by our delight in hope of glory (Romans 5:2-3). The delight is muffled by the pain. But it is there in seed form. It will one day grow into a great vine that yields wine of undiluted delight.
So let us embrace whatever sorrow God appoints for us. Let us not be ashamed of tears. Let the promise that joy comes with the morning (Psalm 30:5) sustain and shape our grief with power and goodness of God.

Joy either spills out or dries up

2006-09-07T06:09:00.000-07:00

Joy. We have been talking the last few weeks about the joy offered to us in Christ. We are hedonist (pleasure seekers) by nature, yet in our sinful nature we seek pleasure in all the wrong places, this is sin and the "wages of sin is death." You see, God created us to glorify and ENJOY HIM forever. Yet we have a problem due to our sin nature and the flowing sin actions we are incapable of glorifying Him and enjoying Him. We are dead as a door nob, as scripture puts it we are "dead in our sins and trespasses." And as the catechism summarizes we are made liable to all the miseries of this life... and the WRATH OF GOD. All your friends, your family, your neighbors, everyone apart from a miracle is subject to the alimghty infinite wrath of God. Where is the hope then? In Jesus Christ through His Spirit. We are going to see a little more this Sunday from John chapter 1 how this is possible for us to be Born Again.

One must be Born again, or born from above to experience true joy for as we are told in Galatians it is a fruit of the Spirit. If you do not experience daily joy in Christ, you DO NOT have the Spirit. We all have our bad days, but we judge a tree by its fruit! DO NOT FOOL YOURSELF! Look to your fruit, do you see Gospel joy shining though even the bad days of your life? Remember as Martin Loyd-Jones said, "Joy is a response and reaction to seeing the glory of God (aka Christ)." It flows from and is rooted in Him and that joy is to overflow. If your joy is not overflowing in sharing Christ it will dry up. Let the Spirit of God fill you to overflowing with the Spirit of CHrist as you bask in His Glory by seeing Him in the Word of God and then may your joy spill out onto others. May we see a mighty harvest as God uses these little old Spounges to show His Good NEWS to a dying world. Let His love flow!

It's a boy!

2006-09-07T06:02:00.000-07:00

It's a Boy! Check out the baby pics!

Is that Darth Maul? haha

Food for Thought: Persecution

2006-08-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

Sunday night we heard the heart wrenching story of the missionary family from India. We heard of the father and his two young sons being martyred as they sought to minister the Gospel to the lepers. Jesus promised persecution, but here in America we face so little. Is this a blessing or is it because we don't look different enough from the world for them to care. Is the reason why there is not more persecution because much of the church (youth included) are too concerned about American Idol, the latest clothes, the newest games, the accumulation of stuff and our own comfort and entertainent? R.B. Kuiper has some interesting throughts, he sais that if the church "were strong and active, as it ought to be, the world would oppose it much more vigorously. Persecution by the world is a badge of honor for the church. Did not Jesus pronounce blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, and does not that beatitude apply to all faithful followers of the Lamb (Matt. 5:10-12)? But by and large the church or our day and our land has lost that badge and forfeited that blessedness. And that is another way of saying that the church's most immenent peril (aka biggest problem) issues from its own household." The darkness hates the light, persecutes the light...Is the reason You, me us as a youth group and a church are not opposed more is that we are not letting our light shine? Pray that the Spirit of God would give you boldness and holiness! Let your light so shine before men! I love yall! Remember JESUS IS WORTH IT!!!

Prayer: a Remix

2006-08-20T22:18:00.000-07:00

These past few weeks going through Louie's series on prayer have been a challenge in my own life. So often I am so focused on self and ignorant of everything I already possess in Jesus Christ (Philippians 1). I want life to be easy, often uneventful, I just want to be physically blessed and live care-free. Christ did not call us to an easy life (see Luke 12), but to suffer, to die to ourselves and to seek His glory. In Luke 12, Jesus comments on a farmer's sudden blessing of wealth, he destroys the barns that had served all his needs for years and duild bigger better ones to keep it all for himself. He wanted to take life easy, retire early and just live it up. You know what Jesus said about him, FOOL! That statement made me freeze, what areas of my life may Christ be now even saying YOU FOOL! How much of money, my time, or my prayers are so obsessed with myself and my ease and not with His Kingdom, producing Gospel fruit in my words, money and actions?

Application
What are you prayers focused on: Bless me (HE ALREADY HAS!), Be with me (IF you are in Christ HE IS IN YOU!), or Protect me aka make my day really easy (he never promised us ease but he did trials)? How did Christ teach us to pray? What was His first petition, not bless me ut BLESSED BE YOUR NAME!

What is your time spent on? TV? Internet? Sports? Phone? Boyfriend/girlfriend? Some of those you may need to cut back, some of those you may need to through out completely, and some you need to remix. Take a hard look at those things, ask for the Spirit's guidance. How could you change some of those that the reflect this change, this "remix"?

I pray a remix happens in all of our lives! Pray that it happens in yours!

PS: If you want to borrow the DVD to catch up on ones you missed just ask Phil!

The call to follow Christ is a call to suffer

2005-11-15T10:09:00.000-08:00

If the disciples only knew what lie in store for them in this journey of following Christ. Jesus was to be tried as a criminal, beaten and crucified...They thought he would be a conquering political leader. He told them if they do this to the master, what do they think they will do to the servants? The same. You see Jesus paved the road of suffering and when he calls us to follow Him, we walk the pathway of suffering.

Some would have us believe that when you become a Christian life is all "hunky-dory", its a peaceful cake walk known by physical blessings and no pain. But that is not how it is, is it? In this life we face the general trials of pain, sickness, loss, parent's divorcing, emotional hurts, and death. We also face the spiritual trials of persecution, mockery, and potentially even death for the sake of Christ. Look at Paul & Peter, did the suffer? Yes! Look at the early Christians, did they suffer? Yes! Look at the reformers did they suffer for the cause of the Gospel? Yes! Look at missionaries like Paton, Judson, Livingston, and Taylor did they suffer loss that Jesus might be known? YES!!! Were they then inferior Christians? Were they negative sinful thinkers who missed our on their best life? NO! If Jesus and they suffered for the cause of the Gospel, why do we expect anything less? Remember the words of Jesus from John 15, 18"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." Then in chapter 16 he says, 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."

So what is Jesus saying? Pain, trouble and suffering are a PROMISE! You WILL have them! He tells us this so we may have peace, but how can we have peace?

1. They hated Him first. Its not something new, and its not something against us personally. They hate us because of Him. They don't like to be confronted with their sin, so they will hurt, maim and even kill to keep that light from being shed on their lives.
2. This world is not your home. Do you get mad when the motel forces you to leave its hotel by noon the next day? No, because you realize it was only a temporary dwelling, it wasn't your home. Our world here is just a tent, its just a motel room - it isn't permanent, its temporary and it is all fading away.
3. He overcame! Jesus conquered death at Calvary, so guess what that means - you need not fear it! Think of what freedom that gives to your life! What use is a gun without a bullet, or a car without gas? Death has no more sting, it was all drained on Jesus! Not only will we rise again, but he shall wipe away all those tears we shed and we shall never weep again!
3. Our Glorious promises. Through the overcoming of Jesus we are given great and glorious promises. First we have a better possession - Jesus himself! We aren't given temporary "bubbles of pleasure" that pop when we touch them, but we are given the eternal Son of God (Heb. 10:32-34), the infinitely great One who offers us eternal, lasting joy in His right hand. Nothing can compare to Him! But not only that, we are also given promises for this life, for being mocked and persecuted (or as some translations call it "reproach") is riches! Oh if we only got that! Look to Paul, look to the early believers who rejoiced when they were thrown in prison, when people stole and wrecked their stuff because of Jesus, they shouted "Praise God, this is awesome God allowed us to suffer for Him!" You see we are offered infinite joy at the end of all this and that is what gets us through it. Remember what is said about Jesus in Heb. 12:1-2 Â How did Jesus survive the lashes? For the joy that was set before him. Look to the joy set before us! May we have a firm foundation that gets us through the hardest times of our lives with joy in Jesus.

Heb. 12:1-2
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author andperfectorr of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Application Questions:
1. What sin, person, attitude, or thing is entangling you, hindering you in running for Jesus?
2. Should you see suffering as something the believer is to face? Why or why not?
3. Why does the world hate Christians?
4. What world are you living for? Take a moment and think of what you will be like 50 years from now, will you regret what you are doing with your time, life, and money? I beg you DON'T WASTE YOUR LIFE!

Turn your eyes on Jesus, keep your eye on the prize, look to the joy set before you and RUN!

Joy is a command!

2005-11-02T10:30:00.000-08:00

"Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!" ~ Psalm 32:11. Joy is not optional for the Christian it is a command. Have you ever thought about that before? Scripture is chalk full of tons of commands to rejoice in the Lord. He elsewhere commands us to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. If it is a command, we are to obey and to not obey is sin. So, when we are not finding our joy in God, what are we doing? We are sinning! But you may ask, How can God require a feeling? I can't just say to myself ,"Feel happy!" and do it, so how can God say to me to be joyful? You have got a point, you can not of your own power command yourself to feel an emotion. You can not will yourself to do it, it must take something else - the Spirit of God at work within you. All this talk about finding our joy in the Limitless joy of the Infinite God (Father, Son and Spirit) keeps bringing us back to this point - I AM FAR TOO EASILY PLEASED! I need help, I need grace, I can do none of this by myself. I can not love Him by myself nor others by myself.

Piper said something very shocking, he said "You cannot be a loving person unless you pursue your joy in God." So if you sell all you have, if you sacrifice, and even give up your life and have not LOVE (to God and man) as scripture says that it is worth nothing. You can give your life away in Iraq and if it is not rooted in love it is meaningless. You see like the sponge when we are sitting in grace (aka under the house) the love of God is being poured out on us and it just oozes out. Like those dirt poor Christians in 2 Corinthians 8. They gave more than they were able and were so excited, they asked to give more! Now that is love in action! Do you have such a heart with your money? How about your time? How about when there is an opportunity to serve someone and you would rather play another video game or go to the mall. May we continually be filled with the love of God that it is just oozing out onto others and may we look for opportunities to ooze on someone!

Application:
1. Do you see a love for God working out in love and sacrifices for others?
2. What do you do if you are not finding your joy in God?
3. Why do you think those dirt poor Christians were so eager to give so much?

2005-10-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

"You were made for Jesus and the satisfaction of your soul will be found in him"

You were made for Jesus. What a statement?! You weren't made for fame, you weren't made for fortune, you weren't made for temporary pleasures that all add up to a lump of mud. You were made for infinite joy in the infinite one (Jesus) who paid an infinite price (death of the Son of God) to purchase you for himself. In a world where we feel so insignificant, how awesome is it that we were created for greatness, or better put we were created to enjoy greatness - God Himself.

That reality drove Paul. He was so consumed with the glory of God that he would face beatings, shipwrecks, imprisonment, mockery, and even death if only Jesus would be made known and made much of. Even more than that he had tasted the goodness of God to the extent that if given a choice to live or die, he didn't know what he would choose. Living is great, but to be with Jesus that is infinite gain.

Philippians 1:20-21 "as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

So what about death? Our culture doesn't like to talk about it, we don't like to be reminded about it, in fact many churches decide NOT to have a graveyard next to the church because it is a "downer." Especially at our ages we think we are invincible, but WE AREN'T. As I am getting older I am seeing more and more how fragile life is. How do you want to die? I don't mean the means (like heart attack) I mean the manner. How can you die to make Jesus look magnificent as He is? Let me tell you an example: Stonewall Jackson was struck by friendly fire and was wounded severely. He was tossed around and even dropped on the long, bumpy road to "recovery". As he rested things seemed to be getting better, but then he took a turn for the worse, the doctors had amputated his arm and would soon find out he had pneumonia that was so severe there would be no recovery. Stonewall's wife, Anna, was given the task of telling her husband that he would soon be in Heaven. She said, "Do you not feel willing to submit to God's plan, if He will you go today?" With great difficulty he replied, "I prefer it." Anna told him that "Before this day closes,you will be with the Blessed Savior in his glory." Jackson said, "I will be an infinite gainer to be translated."

That is how I want to die. If it be His will I die that day, it is my desire. And when the family, friends, and medical staff are surrounded my bad I pray there are not tears of sorrow, but tears of joy for I shall be an infinite gainer in Jesus Christ!

Questions/Application:

1. Define Christian Hedonism: A life _______ __ ___.

2. If you were to have a day, a week, a month to live how could you show that to die is gain? How can you show family, friends and any one else that being with Jesus is far greater. How do you comfort your mom as she holds you hand in the hospital?

3. I know its hard to think about these painful subjects, we often would rather not think about them. But it is good that we do. Will death be to you infinite gain, or are you not sure? How can you be sure? Do you know for certain (100%) that if you died in a car wreck tonight, you would be with Jesus? Come to Jesus! If you have come, Go for Jesus! Go, tell, proclaim day to day the infinite worth of Christ, that He reigns and that He saves! Tell those that have no hope the Good News of Jesus Christ!

Is God vain?

2005-10-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

This past week Piper made us think through the question, "Is God vain?" If God does all things for His own glory, if He is self-exalting isn't that vain? In answer to this he pointed out a few things:
1. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. This means we give God glory when we find Him as all sufficient in our lives, when we find our joy, happiness, contentment, and our everything in Him. Example: Let's say a husband gives his wife a bouquet of flowers and his wife says we a huge smile on her face "You shouldn't have!" Let's say in response to that he says, "Well..Its my duty." Do you think her knees will buckle and her heart will melt at that response? No! (If you don't believe me ask your mother!) Now let's change it up and say that he responds, "Honey, it was my pleasure, nothing would bring me more delight then bringing a smile to your face and have the supreme privilege of enjoying your presence this evening." Now that will melt her heart! You see when he delighted in her and was satisfied in her that made much of her. That is how we MOST glorify God, when we delight in Him over everything else and we are satisfied in Him and nothing else.
2. The most loving thing God can do is give us Himself. Example: Let's say you are the biggest Michael Jordan fan in the world. Let's say the thing that would bring you the most happiness is to spend a day with MJ and play hoops with you. Though knowing this MJ decides I am not going to do it because I don't want to make too much of myself so I will just send him a mirror. Ok, which one is more loving? A mirror or MJ himself? The same is true with God, if He is the greatest thing of infinite worth and joy which bring infinite joy and happiness, isn't it more loving for God to glorify himself by giving Himself to us? YES! Remember: What will satisfy your soul most deeply? Himself If God doesn'tÂt give you this he does not love you! That is why it is not vain, it is the most LOVING thing he can do for us. Piper said, "We were not made for mirrors Â we were made for standing in front of what is infinitely beautiful"

Look at John 11 where because Jesus loved them, he waited 2 DAYS and leLazarusus DIE so that He could show them His glory, thus the most loving thing He could do for them was not immediately heal him, but to let Him die that He might raise him with power so that they might see His glory.

Application
1. How do we magnify God, like a Telescope or a microscope? Why?
2. Can you think of same ways you can show your friends, family, peers, etc that God is so awesome that nothing compares to Him? (for example how can you show that with your money, stuff, words, actions, etc)
3. What will satisfy us most deeply? So why are your spending your time, energy and resources for that which won't?

The Ground of Glorifying God

2005-10-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

We all long to be happy. Ask any sane person in the world and if they are honest they will all tell you the same answer. We don't long to be miserable, we long to find joy and purpose. Where do we find that joy and purpose? We find it in God. You see we have been created to glorify God AND ENJOY GOD. It is thus our duty is to give Him what he deserves. Some have said that duty and delight are in conflict, in other words I can't find joy in glorifying God that would be self-seeking and not God seeking. But the answer of scripture is NO! We find our joy in glorifying God. Sure there may be times where we DON'T feel like saying the kind word to our brother, there are the times when we don't feel like reading the bible, but we don't emotionlessly, lovelessly just go through the routines but honestly say, "God I don't feel like doing this, I am NOT finding my joy in You today. But God I want to fight for that joy. Give me that joy in obedience that you might be glorified."

We also see something incredible about God, though we are guilty like the rapist or murderer, when we turn to Jesus He graciously sets us free. How can that be? Where is justice when rapists and murderers go free? The answer is found at the cross! You see God takes his justice, holiness and mercy seriously. He takes upon himself to pay the debt that he can show grace while still upholding justice. He pays back every sent of what is owed so that we don't have to pay any of it and it is all to show us His glory! As Piper has said, "All God’s gifts are loving only to the degree that they lead us to God himself. That is what God’s love is: his commitment to do everything necessary (most painfully the death of his only Son) to enthrall us with what is most deeply and durably satisfying—namely, himself."

What grace?!!! What love?!!?! Is your heart filled with love and gratitude for him or are you just playing church? Do you find your joy and satisfaction in Him or are you toying around with the things that will only leave you emptier than you were before? Turn to Jesus!

Questions:
1. 1 Corinthians 10:31 tells us to do everything to the glory of God, how do we do everything for the glory of God (e.g. eating dinner, reading books, talking with family and friends, working at our jobs, etc)?

2. Piper mentioned his gratefulness for the "school of suffering", what sufferings have you gone through and how have you seen God use those for good?

3. Piper starting showing us the hugeness of the universe. It is HUGE! And earth is so tiny, small, miniscule. He told us that scientist have said that if God created them, then it is a huge waste of space. Is it a huge waste of space? Why or why not?

But I am only 15....

2005-09-26T18:19:00.000-07:00

I can still remember the anticipation of getting my Driver's license, I had waited 16 long years to sit in that left hand seat and the day had finally came that I was finally old enough to drive. The law dictated that I could not drive until a certain age and the law often dictates that those past a certain age often have their licenses revoked.

When it comes to missions is there an age limit? Do you have to be in your mid thirties to get your Missionary license to be a "missionary" or give to missionaries? The amazing answer is NO! As Dr. Baird said whether you are 9 or 90 you have a role to play in missions. You are to give, you are to pray, you are to GO! It has been and will continue to be my prayer that "senders will be made and goers will be created" from this group. I pray that God is molding you to give of your life for Jesus, for He is WORTH IT!

Is God making you a sender, prompting your heart to give of the little money you have that people may hear of the Good News of Jesus Christ? Is God creating you to be a goer, whether it is for a week, for a year or for the rest of your life? Will you go? Will you send? Will that new video game really matter a few months down the road? Will those new shoes or new outfit really matter when you stand before the throne of God and are called to make an account. The answer is no! Don't Waste your life! Don't waste your time or your money on that which only fades away! Store up your treasures in heaven by spending your life, your time, your money in the greatest endeavor of proclaiming and making much of Jesus Christ.

Extra thoughts on making much of God

2005-09-16T11:12:00.000-07:00

What is our purpose in life? Our purpose is to glorify and enjoy God forever. Our purpose is to bring glory to God by making much of Him, of His love and His grave and through finding our joy and contentment in Him. We talk a lot about glorifying God around here, but you might be like me and ask, "So how DO I glorify God?" The Shorter Catechism tells us the answer, we find the "how to" ONLY in the Word of God ("the scriptures of the Old and New Testament"). So we came to scripture this past week and asked, "Ok, so what does the bible say brings glory to God? We went to Ephesians chapter five and although this list was not exhaustive, it helped get our minds around what it means to glorify God. A few things stick out especially.
1. Being a "Sponge Bob" Christian, no I don't mean you need to become a cartoon character and hang out in the bottom of the sea, what I mean is like a sponge that has a hose on it you are absorbing the water from the house, but the water does not stop at the sponge but spills and pours out. Verses one and two are saying the same thing when they say "then as dearly loved Children". A.K.A - Those who have had the love of God poured into their lives and have absorbed that love. Then what does he say? "Live a life of love" in other words as a sponge absorbs the water being poured upon it, it doesn't stay in the sponge but it spills out. Is the love of Christ spilling out in first, love unto God - the One who has loved you so dearly and secondly, unto others? If there is no spilling, there is no filling!
2. Get some beautiful feet - Yall heard how I hate feet, they are stinky, yucky and gross (those are all theological terms haha!), but we are told "how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news." Feet imply walking or going and what makes stinky, gross feet so beautiful is the amazing message they proclaim. The observation of the feet is transformed by the message which they bring. You have an unbelievable message to proclaim! May it be said of you this week that you got some perdy feet! And whydo you have perdy feet? Because your feet went and you told them the unbelievable news of Jesus Christ!
3. Can you do any of this by your own effort? NO! Only by the Holy Spirit can you do this, for he tells us in Philippians 2:13 that, "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" He is the one who enables and empowers you to do God's will. What then do you need to do? Depend on Him! Pray and ask Him to assist you in bring glory to Jesus in whatever you are doing (Colossians 2:17).

The "How to" of Glorifying God - Be Imitators of God

2005-09-16T10:59:00.000-07:00

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it for the glory of God." ~ 1 Corinthians 10:31

God created, chose you, bought you by Jesus' blood, and is sanctifying you (a.k.a. make you look more like Jesus by the Holy Spirit) that you may bring glory to Him. (Eph.1:4-12)

You glorify God with your whole life - Live a life of love (Eph 5:2; Romans 12:1-2) He doesn't say a day, he doesn't say an hour, he doesn't say a week or a month, but a whole life that is absorbed with the Love of God and it spills out unto others.

You glorify God with your brain(Matt 22:37; Romans 12:2). What do you think about? What is the default mode for your mind? God gave us the capabilities to think and understand our world, but to think and know Him the Almighty Infinite God! We cannot comprehend Him(understand fully) but we can apprehend Him (understand enough) through His Holy precious Word. Study it!

You glorify God with your heart (Luke 10:27) Love for God and love for neighbors! Be like a sponge that having soaked in the Love of God spills out onto others.

You glorify God with your purity - watch how the world is affecting your life (Eph. 5:3, 7; James 1:27) Do not associate with them
The Greek summetoxoi means "sharers in their sin" see 3:6

You glorify God with your money (Eph. 5:3b; Acts 2:44-45) What are you spending your dollars on? Your pocket book tells you where your heart is!

You glorify God with your tongue - watch what you say (Eph. 5:4; James 1:26)

Why 1 - Look what is the end of those who do! (v. 5-7)
Why 2 - Look who you are! (v.8-16)

You glorify God by making the most of your time (Eph. 5:16) What are you doing with your "spare time"? Are you wasting it away or spending it on things of eternal significance?

You glorify God with your hands - Sacrifice! serve the needy (James 1:27)

You glorify God by longing to know Him better (Eph 1:17-19)

You glorify God with your feet (Romans 10:15) - Get beautiful feet! Share Jesus with someone!

You glorify God with your ears (Luke 11:28) Love hearing the words of God.

Applications: What are some ways based upon this that I can glorify God specifically in my life?

2005-09-16T10:39:00.000-07:00

Upcoming Study: The Blazing Center By John Piper.
You can download the outline and study guides @ http://www.desiringgod.org/library/dvd_resources/index.html

What is 268 about?

2005-09-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws,
we wait for you;
your name and renown
are the desire of our hearts.
~ Isaiah 26:8

"We have so domesticated the word...Godliness that we scarcely can begin to comprehend what Paul means by it. Read your Bible, go to church, keep the Ten commandments:godliness. NO! That's not godliness. Pharisees did all that. Godliness is so being ravished by God, so satisfied by God, so filled with God, so driven by Jesus' way that you will live in a way that the only explanation for your life is God raising you from the dead." ~ John Piper

268 exists to spread a passion for the glory and enjoyment of God among youth and their families.

So what does this mean?

1. Spreading a Passion - We want to spread a passion, we don't want it to stay in this room. We want it to spread through evangelism and discipleship. We pray that new lives are being born and that these new creations long to love the Lord their God with all their heart, mind and soul. That in the words of the apostle Paul, nothing in their world not popularity, clothes, playstation, TV, jewelry, shorts, stuff, friends, nor even family compare with the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord. May everything else in your life pale in comparison, and may all those around you see it. As John Piper asks are we living lives that the only way to explain them is the resurrection of Jesus Christ? May we be entranced by our great and glorious God!

2. For the glory and enjoyment of God - We may be zealous, but zealous or passionate for what? We long that we would be passionate for the very reason that we were created. The shorter catechism asks, What is the chief end (or primary purpose) of man? What is the answer? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Simply put, the purpose for our lives is to make much of Jesus Christ. As Is. 26:8 says your glory and your renown are the desire of our hearts. We live to make Jesus look marvelous, though even in our best efforts we fail for we can never convey fully his splendor. We aremicroscopesspoes, making small things look bigger than they are. We long to be telescopes, those who take huge unbelievable things and bring them down so others can see.

3. Among Youth and their families - Who are those who we want to reach, specifically youth and their families. Why not just youth? Because parents are the number one influence in our child's life. In Deuteronomy 6 God gives the command to parents to raise their children tGodoveThey. THey are to teach in all of life, not just in a classroom or in church or youth group. Rather when they are in the car, or at the dinner table, or sitting on the porch, wherever they are they teach abowondrousnderous God and His mighty acts.

So that is what 268 is about, this week we will ask, SO HOW DO WE DO IT? How do we glorify God? Invite a friend and let them see the greatest realiprivilegeivelage in all the world of doing the very thing for which we were created - to make much of Jesus Christ by our lives!

God Tests, God Provides

2005-06-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

This past week we looked at Gen 22:1-19. After waiting decade after decade for the promised child, Abraham and Sarah finally conceive Isaac. The son of promise. But as we come to Gen 22, we are startled as God decides to test Abraham by asking him to do the unthinkable - kill his only son. If we were not give us that background we would not know what to think. Is God really asking Abraham to do something contrary to His later commandments (Do not kill)? But this is only a test, perhaps the greatest test of Abe's life. Not only was Isaac the promise, the blessing of God which he had waited for so long, but he was his beloved son. To sacrifice him is unthinkable. Yet God was testing him, in essence asking do you love me more than even my blessings? That is the question all of us must ask, "Do we really love HIM more than even His blessings?" Often it seems would rather toss Jesus to the side and take heaven and all its desserts. Ask yourself, "Could you enjoy heaven if Christ where not there?" In other words, Is the greatest thing that excites you about heaven is seeing Jesus face to face and worshipping Him forever or is it merely the peace, the streets of Gold and the beautiful mansions.

We find very quickly what Abe's answer was, the text tells us that he got up at "the butt-crack of dawn" (Phil's version haha) He didn't dilly dally, he got up ready to obey God in the most difficult test of his life. He gets things ready, rounds up his son and his servants and they head to the mountain to offer a sacrifice. We can imagine the agony that Abe is going through, especially as Isaac asks him where is the sacrifice? Yet Abe responds God will provide. That is what we need to realize , God is our provider. He looked by faith and new that God would provide the lamb. Hebrews 11 tells us that "17By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring[b] will be reckoned."[c] 19Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. " Abe had faith that God would provide, even if it meant that God would raise his son from the dead. And God did for as Abe raised the knife to strike his son, God provided! R. Kent Hughes writes. "They had learned together, "The LORD will provide --Jehovah Jireh -- that this is God's pattern in dealing with His people, God tests, and then God provides." God tests and God provides. He never leaves us in our time of need.

Application
Two things we can take away, 1. God provided for us in Christ - God did not relent in striking his only beloved son. He did not spare Him but gave Him for us. He is our substitute. It as if we are all Isaacs with the knife of judgment raised to strike us because of our sins, but God cried out and provided the Lamb of God to take our place. 2. God provides for us in every day life - We all face tests and trials in life, remember God uses them for our good and His glory! Remind yourself when you feel lonely, remind yourself when you struggle with sin, remind yourself when your world is falling apart...He is my provider! He indeed is Jehovah - Jireh!

Welcome

2005-05-04T11:04:00.000-07:00

Hey Yall,

Welcome to our new blog! This will be a great opportunity to give yall great resources and keep yall updated on what is going on and what we are learning!

Phil