Friday, July 27, 2012
Relocating to Facebook
So apparently blogging is a thing of the past. The youth group at Shady Grove didn't even know what a "blog" was. It is amazing how quickly things change now-a-days; just a few years ago everyone was blogging. Now it's all Facebook and Twitter. Tomorrow it will be something else. But for the time being, I am relocating this forum to Facebook in hopes that it will get more attention. Those of you who were following me here, check out http://www.facebook.com/shadygrovebaptistyouth and click "Like".
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Fearing the Lord - 6/24/2012
Ps. 34:11 “Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”
As I said on Sunday morning, you guys are not “children” anymore; you are young adults, so although I do not normally condone re-writing scripture, for our purposes let’s say, “Come, ye ‘young men and young women’, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”
What does it mean to “fear” the Lord?
When we talk about fear of the Lord, we mean “giving Him the respect He deserves.” It is similar to a fear of electricity. You shouldn’t be afraid to plug in your phone charger to an electrical outlet, but would you stick a fork into the same outlet? Or mix electricity and water? Electricity is powerful! Treat it with respect, or you might end up with a crazy new hair-do; or worse!
So why should I fear the Lord?
The Bible is filled with Scriptures that answer this question. I have categorized and listed a few of them below.
Prov 2:1-6 “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.”
Contained in those six verses is a long list of things that we are supposed to do in order to understand the fear of the Lord. I have grouped them together to make them a little easier to pick out.
The first four can be summarized as “read your Bible, pay attention in our youth group meetings and in church, listen to the teaching of older Christians, etc…” They are:
Summary: Eccl 12:13 "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
Application: When Moses encountered God (the burning bush that was not consumed) on the mountain, God warned, Take your shoes off Moses; you’re on Holy ground. (See Eccl 3:1-6).
Matthew 18:20 tells us: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
So, if God is with us when we gather together, what should our attitude be? How should we act?
I don’t think we have to take our shoes off when we enter the church, as God commanded Moses to do on the mountain, but we should act as if God is there with us: because He is!
We can have fun, and laugh, and all of those things; as long as we do so with a proper respect for the Lord: who created the universe, has forgiven us of our sins, and is worthy to be praised!
With a proper respect for (fear of) the Lord, unbelievable things can (and will) happen in your life! Get ready!
As I said on Sunday morning, you guys are not “children” anymore; you are young adults, so although I do not normally condone re-writing scripture, for our purposes let’s say, “Come, ye ‘young men and young women’, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”
What does it mean to “fear” the Lord?
When we talk about fear of the Lord, we mean “giving Him the respect He deserves.” It is similar to a fear of electricity. You shouldn’t be afraid to plug in your phone charger to an electrical outlet, but would you stick a fork into the same outlet? Or mix electricity and water? Electricity is powerful! Treat it with respect, or you might end up with a crazy new hair-do; or worse!
So why should I fear the Lord?
The Bible is filled with Scriptures that answer this question. I have categorized and listed a few of them below.
- Because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom.
- Prov 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
- Ps 111:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His commandments: His praise endureth forever.”
- Because the Lord is not an idol; but the creator of the universe.
- Ps 96:4 “For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols but the Lord made the heavens.”
- 1 Chr 16:25-26 “For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the people are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.”
- Because of the great things He has done for you.
- 1 Sam 12:24 “Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things He hath done for you.
- Ps 103:11-12 “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.”
- Because He promises to help, to protect and to bless you.
- Ps 115:11 “Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord: He is their help and their shield.”
- Ps 115:13 “He will bless them that fear the Lord, both small and great.”
Prov 2:1-6 “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.”
Contained in those six verses is a long list of things that we are supposed to do in order to understand the fear of the Lord. I have grouped them together to make them a little easier to pick out.
The first four can be summarized as “read your Bible, pay attention in our youth group meetings and in church, listen to the teaching of older Christians, etc…” They are:
- Receive my words
- Hide my commandments with thee
- Incline your ear unto wisdom
- Apply your heart to understanding
- Cry after knowledge
- Lift up thy voice for understanding
- Seek after knowledge and understanding as if you were a treasure hunter in search of a buried treasure
Summary: Eccl 12:13 "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
Application: When Moses encountered God (the burning bush that was not consumed) on the mountain, God warned, Take your shoes off Moses; you’re on Holy ground. (See Eccl 3:1-6).
Matthew 18:20 tells us: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
So, if God is with us when we gather together, what should our attitude be? How should we act?
I don’t think we have to take our shoes off when we enter the church, as God commanded Moses to do on the mountain, but we should act as if God is there with us: because He is!
We can have fun, and laugh, and all of those things; as long as we do so with a proper respect for the Lord: who created the universe, has forgiven us of our sins, and is worthy to be praised!
With a proper respect for (fear of) the Lord, unbelievable things can (and will) happen in your life! Get ready!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Funny Quotes from Class - 6/20/2012
Concerning the fear of not knowing the what to say when talking to others about the Lord:
Me: "You'll be surprised what you know that you didn't know that you knew!"
Class (in unison): "WHAT????"
Me: "You'll be surprised what you know that you didn't know that you knew!"
Class (in unison): "WHAT????"
Discussion Recap - 6/20/2012
I thought we had some great discussion last night. I hope you thought so too! Here's a brief recap of our question/answer session.
I asked: What ideas do YOU have about God? What He's like / What He does?
You said:
I asked: What ideas do you thing your FRIENDS/CLASSMATES have about God?
You said:
I explained that when Jesus ministered on earth, He did not just walk up to a crippled man and say, "Hey, I'm the Messiah. Believe in me and you'll be saved." Instead, He first healed the man's legs and THEN said "Oh, and by the way, I can also heal you spiritually..."
People do not care about our spirituality or our Christianity until we have proven to them that we actually care about their problems. If we do that, then they will be willing to listen to what we have to say.
People aren't going to have a real hunger for the Word of God (in it's entirety) until after they have becomes Christians, but they can't become Christians until they've heard the Word of God.
Statistics say that 90% of American's do at least believe "in" God, and I believe that most everyone does at some point in their life want to know and understand Him. They want to know that He cares about them, but they probably aren't interested in much more than that at first. When talking to a lost person, stick with God's love and His plan of Salvation. They're not ready for the "meat of the Word" yet, but even a child can understand the plan of Salvation.
Kirk Cameron said that we as Christians often try to sell people medicine without first convincing them that they are sick. In other words, we ofer them a Savior without first showing them why they need one. That was the purpose of the Law in the Old Testament. The Law was not meant to be a list of rules that a person had to follow in order to get to Heaven; it was a list of rules that no man could ever follow, showing us that we are all sinners. Have you ever told a lie? If so then according to the Bible you are a liar; a sinnner, and Jesus died for you!
It is our job to show people that they are a sinner in need of a Savior without being harsh or beating them up over their sin. The Bible says we are to teach them gently in loving kindness. We are to delicatley show them what God says in His word. Remember - it's the Holy Spirit's job to convict their hearts, and it's God's job to judge - we are not responsible for either of those things. All we have to do is show them that we care, and when they are ready and willing to listen, show them what the Word of God says! Leave the rest up to God.
AGREE OR DISAGREE QUESTIONS
Q. God is the creator of all life
A. AGREE
DISCUSSION: What about Evolution? You guys said it's bogus; just a theory.
Q. Mankind is by nature good?
A. DISAGREE
DISCUSSION: I explained that some people believe that mankind is gradually getting better, and that eventually "Heaven" will be here on Earth when mankind has finally evolved to a perfect state. (It's called Humanism). You guys said those people are wrong!
Q. Jesus existed BEFORE He was born in Bethlehem?
A. AGREE
DISCUSSION: We looked at Scripture to prove that Jesus existed even before the foundation of the World. He left Heaven to become flesh, to live and die for you and me.
Q. There are many ways by which man can get to Heaven?
A. DISAGREE
DISCUSSION: Jesus is the only way!
Q. Satan is the cause of all sin?
A. DISAGREE
DISCUSSION: We discussed Scripture that says "because of their own lusts and desires...".
We also discussed the Millennial Reign when Satan will be bound for 1,000 years. Remember that only saved people will enter the Millennial Reign, yet as they have children and grandchildren, sin still abounds on Earth - even with Satan out of the picture.
We like to blame Satan and say "the Devil made me do it", but many times He is not to blame; it is our own lusts and desires that cause us to sin.
FYI - the Bible also says that a saved person will never be tempted above that which he is able to resist, and that God will always provide a way of escape, but many times we still fail!
I asked: What ideas do YOU have about God? What He's like / What He does?
You said:
- He helps & heals
- He's jealous
- He's forgiving
- He's accepting
I asked: What ideas do you thing your FRIENDS/CLASSMATES have about God?
You said:
- They know "of" Him, but they do not "know Him."
- They think He does not care about their problems
I explained that when Jesus ministered on earth, He did not just walk up to a crippled man and say, "Hey, I'm the Messiah. Believe in me and you'll be saved." Instead, He first healed the man's legs and THEN said "Oh, and by the way, I can also heal you spiritually..."
People do not care about our spirituality or our Christianity until we have proven to them that we actually care about their problems. If we do that, then they will be willing to listen to what we have to say.
- They do not have a hunger for the Word of God
People aren't going to have a real hunger for the Word of God (in it's entirety) until after they have becomes Christians, but they can't become Christians until they've heard the Word of God.
Statistics say that 90% of American's do at least believe "in" God, and I believe that most everyone does at some point in their life want to know and understand Him. They want to know that He cares about them, but they probably aren't interested in much more than that at first. When talking to a lost person, stick with God's love and His plan of Salvation. They're not ready for the "meat of the Word" yet, but even a child can understand the plan of Salvation.
Kirk Cameron said that we as Christians often try to sell people medicine without first convincing them that they are sick. In other words, we ofer them a Savior without first showing them why they need one. That was the purpose of the Law in the Old Testament. The Law was not meant to be a list of rules that a person had to follow in order to get to Heaven; it was a list of rules that no man could ever follow, showing us that we are all sinners. Have you ever told a lie? If so then according to the Bible you are a liar; a sinnner, and Jesus died for you!
- They will not come to church, because they think we are judgemental
It is our job to show people that they are a sinner in need of a Savior without being harsh or beating them up over their sin. The Bible says we are to teach them gently in loving kindness. We are to delicatley show them what God says in His word. Remember - it's the Holy Spirit's job to convict their hearts, and it's God's job to judge - we are not responsible for either of those things. All we have to do is show them that we care, and when they are ready and willing to listen, show them what the Word of God says! Leave the rest up to God.
AGREE OR DISAGREE QUESTIONS
Q. God is the creator of all life
A. AGREE
DISCUSSION: What about Evolution? You guys said it's bogus; just a theory.
Q. Mankind is by nature good?
A. DISAGREE
DISCUSSION: I explained that some people believe that mankind is gradually getting better, and that eventually "Heaven" will be here on Earth when mankind has finally evolved to a perfect state. (It's called Humanism). You guys said those people are wrong!
Q. Jesus existed BEFORE He was born in Bethlehem?
A. AGREE
DISCUSSION: We looked at Scripture to prove that Jesus existed even before the foundation of the World. He left Heaven to become flesh, to live and die for you and me.
Q. There are many ways by which man can get to Heaven?
A. DISAGREE
DISCUSSION: Jesus is the only way!
Q. Satan is the cause of all sin?
A. DISAGREE
DISCUSSION: We discussed Scripture that says "because of their own lusts and desires...".
We also discussed the Millennial Reign when Satan will be bound for 1,000 years. Remember that only saved people will enter the Millennial Reign, yet as they have children and grandchildren, sin still abounds on Earth - even with Satan out of the picture.
We like to blame Satan and say "the Devil made me do it", but many times He is not to blame; it is our own lusts and desires that cause us to sin.
FYI - the Bible also says that a saved person will never be tempted above that which he is able to resist, and that God will always provide a way of escape, but many times we still fail!
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