I caught Sunday's performance of Seussical, and I thought the performance was great (I'm not a fan of musicals, and I enjoyed it)! It was fun to see so many of you exhibiting the acting/singing talent you've been given. I also thought it was cool to see so many friends that have either come to youth group events in the past, or who I've seen you hanging out with other places. I think it's great that the youth that go to our church are able to be ambassadors of Christ in the CHS' theater department, and I'm sure it showed not only to your fellow students, but also to your director.
It's cool to see how God's blessed our youth group with so much talent in different areas--cooking, sports, music, writing, drawing, acting. Know that he's given you those abilities, and he knows exactly how you can use them to help other people know him better.
Keep Devin updated on other events you all have going on. I know there's a couple of band concerts in December, and that basketball season has started.
"Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone." - 1 Cor. 12:4-6
November 19, 2006
Seussical the Musical
November 7, 2006
Response to Paid in Full
First, let me say that it has been a while since I have had any time to post. Sorry, I know that you feel like you have been missing out.
So, I will take a moment to repsond to the previous post.
We had a Sunday night at the McCoy's that marked another spot on our Journey through the Gospel.
The Letter of the night was P. Paying the price for our sins, Jesus died and rose again.
The exercise that we went through that night was strictly for those who are believers. This is a break down of what happened in my group. I asked the everyone to write down the sin in their life that they believed was hindering their relationship to God. I wrote down my sin as well. I asked that they close their eyes and pray that God would forgive them of the sin that had been keeping them at arms length from God. I then asked that they would wait until they felt as if they had heard from God that they were forgiven, when they were ready I ask them to fold their paper up and place it in a small trash can that I had with me. As they placed their paper in the can I looked them in the eyes and said "Paid in Full" This exercise was to allow them to remember that their sin was completely and fully paid for on the cross. That as a "believer" (someone who has not only confessed their sin to the Lord, but has acknowledged that Christ paid for that sin on the cross and rose again. Who also has given themselves to the Lord as a servant and holds Jesus Christ as their savior and ruler of their life) they are no longer held in judgement because of their sin. God's wrath has been removed and they are set free from the penalty because of Christ. This exercise was not for the unbeliever. I was certain that within my group there was nobody that had not made that commitment. If there were people there who might have been unbelievers, I would have handled it much differently. As we take part in the Gospel Journey the focus for the first 8 weeks is centered around those who have already made a commitment to Christ. The exercises and the discussion will be different starting in January as we will be bringing friends to group that might not have a relationship with God, or even know much about Christ.
We are all sinners in need of a Savior. There is truly no one who seeks God. We are all dead in our sins and in need of the life giving power of Christ. He is the one in whom we place our trust and in whom we find true life and meaning. Without our lives being transformed in Him, we remain lost and headed for a life seperated from God for eternity. This eternity is not one of comfort, but one of despair and a literal Hell.
God seeks to redeem and transform His fallen creation, but we can only come to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the one who died on the cross paying in full the due penalty for the sins of His children. He is the one who has risen to life and reigns with His Father in Heaven.
I hope this clears up any misunderstanding on the "Paid in Full Exercise" if not please do not hesitate to ask me questions or call me I will be happy to discuss this matter with you.
October 23, 2006
Journey Ministries
Paid in Full?
I couldn't put my finger on it last night, but the "paid in full" exercise we did last night, I hope, is not something we plan on doing when we invite the unsaved to our sessions. Unless one has made a commitment to Christ, they will be judged by their sin. Their sins are not "paid in full" unless they accept Him ("there is one sin that is never forgiven, and that is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit" {blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to reject salvation and not let the Holy Spririt fill your person}). And as we agreed early in the session, we are not about coercing others. I certainly hope we don't plan on doing the "paid in full" with the Christian group members only as a pressure tactic for our unsaved friends. I would find this inappropriate - but I don't know if this is the plan. Would you advise or provide clarification?
October 17, 2006
S. Sin cannot be removed by good deeds!
On Sunday night in our small group time we discovered through the GOSPEL JOURNEY that Sin cannot be removed by our good deeds.
Greg Stier said in the video that our sacrifice for sins must be a blood sacrifice. This is what God desires. Although we understand that today we don't make sacrifices of animals anymore, because Jesus became for us the Lamb of God that would take away the sins of the world. He was our blood sacrifice. He, just like the Lamb of ancient Israel's sacrifices, would take the place of us in the wrath of God's judgment. He bled on the cross for our sins, He suffered for our mistakes and wrongdoings.
We also realized that we have need for our sins to be removed, because in and of ourselves we will never be good enough. The 10 Commandments were given for us to be able to see that we would never be able to keep the moral law. We will always fall short. Sin is missing the mark or falling short of God's law. Just as a judge brings judgment on someone who disobeys the law in our judicial system, so God will bring His judgment upon those who disobey His laws and commands.
We all fall short, there is none that is able to keep the law. However, there is one who has kept the law and has come not to do away with the law, but to fulfill it. This is Jesus. He was born without sin and was the only one to remain without sin. He was God incarnate in the flesh. He is our spotless Lamb.
Yes! We do need a Savior, our sins cannot be removed by our good deeds!
Bon Fire!
Come One, Come All! Everyone is welcome!Ok, so this is the night! We all have waited for it to arrive! The night of the BON FIRE! (The Fire Dept. has been notified)
This will be a great time. I would like for you to please bring something to roast your marshmellows and/or hotdogs!
We will being the evening with a few hardy games! I have a basketball hoop and Nerf football for anyone interested. Also I have planned a few games of my own!
If everything works out! One game will involve pumpkins and a large target on the ground. (I will let you use your imagination)
There will be an egg toss so please dress in something appropriate.
Your families are welcome to come everyone is invited!
We will enjoy the fellowship of one another and God.
Any questions call the church office and I will be happy to answer your inquiries.
In Him,
Devin
October 16, 2006
Journey Ministries
Journey Ministries
10 Commandments...
From Sunday's video. God setting us up to fail? Ouch! That's a pretty harsh accusastion from Ashley! But it's a fair question all the same, given her background. A different way to look at it is we humans want to "do" to achieve. So God shows us - here's a list of 10 "works." Jesus reveals the "riddle" of the 10 Commandments "I come not to break the law but to fulfill it." What does He mean by that? God let us use the 10 Commandments to reveal what needed to be covered. Works were not sufficient. Jesus said, "Clean the inside of the vessel, and then the outside will be clean as well." He meant that we need to change our hearts, which is inward. And we can't change our hearts as much as we let God change them. Jesus threw out an interesting challenge to the Pharisees regarding the "works" aspect of the 10 Commandments. Since they believed everything was outward, including sin (it came from the outside, or was sensorily induced, not from the inside, namely our wicked hearts), Jesus told them, "If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out." Owwww! You see, the eye doesn't cause you to sin. It's the heart inside you. So are you going to base your faith in works, or trust in the Savior? Let's talk!
