Child vs Mature

I don't want to be a child all my life. I am glad I am a grown up who can drive a car and take care of myself and make important decisions. As I age I may become a child again but hopefully that won't happen - or at least not soon.

So why would I want to remain a child in my spiritual life? I've heard people remark about a church or pastor, I just wasn't being fed. They are not talking about a Wednesday night supper or Sunday dinner on the grounds but about being fed the Word of God. Now maybe that preacher doesn't preach from the Bible but I doubt it. And these are people who have been in church for years, claiming Christianity for years.

Why in the world would a grown up want to be fed? With actual food that's for young children or very old or sick individuals. Why should I expect the pastor to be my main source of nourishment from the Word of God? I have six days in the week to sit down with Jesus and the Bible to learn what He would have me do; how He would have me live; what truths He wants me to learn. Preaching on Sunday should be a reinforcement of all that I am learning on my own time. But of course, the preacher does play an important role in my understanding of Scripture. He is another - not the only - way I hear from God.

Maybe the person not being fed has not prepared his/her heart to hear from God or doesn't have a deep expectation of meeting with Jesus during the Sunday service. Maybe this person doesn't participate in corporate worship by singing AND praying AND giving tithes.

Or maybe, just maybe, God is stirring them to be a feeder of young believers. Bet they never thought about that. In Hebrews 5:12-14, the writer talks about those who ought to be mature but are still seeking milk like a child. Still going to the same Bible studies but never becoming a teacher who shares God's truth with others. They ought to be discerning, mature believers by now rather than seeking to be fed all the time.

Teaching may mean taking on a major responsibility to nurture young believers (regardless of age) in a group setting but it might also mean sharing truth with your children or a neighbor or a co-worker.

Gauntlet 2011 Part Two

What an amazing God we serve through the most amazing church on the planet! I didn't go to the Gauntlet so my information comes from twitter, vimeo and Facebook updates.

The annual youth trip to Daytona Beach had 1350 students, 450 adult small group leaders, and 100 support people. Forty buses carried people from 5 campuses, leaving early Monday morning. There were 130 kids who surrendered their lives to Jesus and 287 who publicly declared "Jesus is my Lord and Savior" and got dunked in the ocean at sunrise on Thursday. WooHoo!!

One of the things I like is the way the leadership strives to focus on Jesus and focus on building friendships. It starts at the very beginning by putting the guys and girls on separate buses. The trip is about Jesus - as is everything NewSpring does.

They stayed at the Daytona Hilton which is NOT a shabby place. They had morning and evening worship and teaching times - with big screens and lights and live band - everything the kids are used to at NewSpring. Pastor Perry even led worship for one session. In between times they had personal devotional time as well as small group discussion time. But of course, you're at the beach so there has to be play time as well. Nate thought it was cool that Perry and Charisse rode the slingshot.

I got to go with Holly and Bella, Nate's mom and sister, to pick up Nate when he got home Friday evening and he just couldn't stop talking about all he heard and learned. He told us about Jonah. He read us Bible passages he's going to memorize. He talked about wanting to read all the New Testament. (He read Mark, Ephesians and started on Timothy while there. He read John and Acts before he left.) He talked about idols in his life - cell phone (texting), video games and computer time. He talked about being asked to pray for his bus, up front, over the microphone and was excited to do it.

Thank you, NewSpring, for taking this child - he just turned twelve 2 weeks ago - and helping him get excited about Jesus and the Bible by presenting the Truth in a way that captures his attention and helps him to understand how great our God is.

Core Values

For the last two days I've been thinking a lot about NewSpring's core values and how I measure up personally. This is not brag about Nancy time but just an assessment of what God is doing in and through my life. This one is really just for me.

1. Growing people change - I read and study God's word daily. As I think about the launch of the Spartanburg campus, I see "stretch me" time; do things not done before. Change seems harder to recognize the longer I walk with Jesus.

2. I can't do life alone - in a small group and actively involved with my family and the teams I serve on at church. I could easily be a hermit and sit in a chair and read all day long. Perfectly content to be with me and my cat and a book.

3. Saved people serve people - take my grandson to Greenville each week for FUSE; serve on 3 teams through the church, volunteer with Mobile Meals. Content to be a background person; taking out the trash works for me. How does that tie in with my desire to be a hermit?

4. I can't out give God - at least a tithe is a firm discipline of mine as is giving generously to others as God provides direction and resources. Saving is great but hoarding is a sin.

5. Found people find people - always inviting; praying that the Spartanburg campus will get positive response from those I invite. Be bold and don't worry about the response, just keep inviting.

Obedience Through Suffering

"In the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears, to Him who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered." Hebrews 5:7-8

Who wants to suffer? Nobody that I know. Jesus didn't. The Bible tells us that the night of His arrest just before His beatings and crucifixion, Jesus prayed, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from me. And being in an agony, He prayed more earnestly; and His sweat became like great drops of blood dropping to the ground." Luke 22:42-44

Jesus certainly understands our pain when we suffer. But the passage in Hebrews says He learned obedience through His suffering. And how did He learn that? By praying, "Nevertheless, not My will but Yours be done." (Luke 22:42) We are told an angel came and strengthened Him. For us that strengthening comes through the Comforter,or Helper, the Holy Spirit. (John 16:7)

The question for us is are we able to say, like Jesus, nevertheless, not my will but Yours be done? Are we able to continue to believe God is good even when we don't see it? Are we willing to surrender our hurts, our emotions, our fears, our doubts to the sovereignty of God? Is it easy? No! But obedience and a deeper relationship with Jesus is the result..."that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death," (Philippians 3:10)

Exhort One Another

"But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3:13

Exhort means to give urgent advice, recommendations or warnings. Pastor Perry and Brad Cooper have been doing that all week at the Gauntlet. Perry does that on Sundays in his messages. But what about me? Am I to give urgent warnings about the deceitfulness of sin? Should I expect someone to warn me? Absolutely!

But that doesn't mean I'm to stand on a street corner with bullhorn screaming at random people about the wrath of God. This verse is about believers warning other believers. I can do that through small group conversations as we talk about life. I can do that one on one with people I know and love. I can do that with strangers if they tell me about a sinful lifestyle. (And that does happen to me!) However, anything I say must be tempered by the love of God and the knowledge that I once walked that path but God, in His mercy, turned me around and set me free.

We see the results of the deceitfulness of sin in the family of God when a believer succumbs to sexual temptation and destroys his marriage and/or ministry. When the lust for more stuff causes believers to be deeply in debt. When the lure of a "power play" at work causes a believer to lie or sacrifice the family for the job. When we begin to accept the world's standards as our own. And once our heart is set on something we're trapped in sin. "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown bring forth death. DO NOT BE DECEIVED, my beloved brothers." James 1:14-16 (emphasis mine)

So we do have a responsibility to "speak the truth in love" to each other. To help each other through the rough spots. To point out the deceitfulness of sin. But always reminding each other of Christ's great love and forgiveness.

Gauntlet 2011

It is Thursday morning, day 4 of Gauntlet 2011, and I continue to be involved with the Gauntlet from afar. My grandson, Nate, is on his first Gauntlet trip and I can not wait to hear, first hand, what God has done in his life.

I am so thankful for all the technology - twitter and vimeo and iphones and instagrams - that gives me an ongoing glimpse of all God is doing in Daytona Beach. Many prayers have been answered so far with about 125 kids saying yes to Jesus. Around 287 were baptized this morning in the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Hopefully one of then was one of Nate's roomies, Chad, who surrendered his life to Jesus 2 or 3 weeks ago at FUSE.

In addition to the salvations, many kids are confessing sins and letting go of idols in their lives. I am blown away again and again by those who lead the youth at NewSpring Church. They don't mince any words, don't sugar coat the Gospel but at the same time have great fun together. (Nate is on the right in the "Second Chance" t-shirt.)

Jesus said, "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." John 12:32 Jesus was speaking of His death, burial and resurrection and today, thousands of years later, when the truth of Jesus Christ is spoken boldly, HE draws people to Himself. Heaven will be more crowded because students went to the Gauntlet, met Jesus, and their lives are forever changed. Thank You, Jesus, for being "the same yesterday, today and forever." Hebrews 13:8 

The Next Verse

Sometimes when I read my Bible I come across a very familiar verse. Perhaps I have it underlined or maybe I have even memorized it. It is a verse full of truth that I should not ever forget. But then I read the next verse and think, have I ever read that before?

That happened to me tonight as I was reading Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is living and active, sharper then any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." That is such a great verse, spoken often from pulpits across the world. And it was proved to me to be living and active as I read the next verse and was pierced with a knowledge that I sometimes try to suppress.

Hebrews 4:13 says, "And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." That gets a whew! Naked and exposed! Give an account! Those are hard - but true - words just as those in the previous verse. Unfortunately, we don't hear too much preaching on that. Maybe we need more.

The knowledge that God KNOWS everything about me including my thoughts and "secret" sins - the anger, the unforgiveness, the attitude, and will ask me to account for EVERYTHING should spur me to daily, perhaps hourly would be better, realign myself with Jesus. To take "captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5)