Jan 03

Lessons Learned in 2012

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Here we are a couple of days into 2013 and most of us are already working toward

Lessons Learned In 2012

Lessons Learned In 2012

fulfilling our New Year’s resolutions. Hopefully you haven’t fallen off the wagon yet :)! It is my hope and prayer this New Year will be a blessing in your life and God will work in and through you to mold you into the image of Jesus Christ.

However, before we completely put last year behind us, I want to share with you a few lessons I learned over the course of what turned out to be one of the most exciting years I have ever had. Consider the following:

1)    Being a father is one of the greatest blessings. I knew having a child would change my life, but I couldn’t have begun to imagine how great of a blessing this change would be. Each passing day my love for my wonderful baby boy continues to grow. Watching him grow and learn has forever changed my life. It has given me a little better understanding of the love God has for His children.

2)    Not everyone will look at what you do as something to be appreciated, but our purpose is to please, honor and glorify God. It’s so easy to forget this when it comes to working in student ministry. Often you feel unappreciated. This year served as a great reminder that I minister not for the approval and praise of men, but for the glory and honor of God.

3)    My love for God’s Word continues to grow. I can’t get enough of the Bible and I don’t just mean reading it. This year I have experienced a joy of teaching the Word unlike any other year I can remember. I want to teach all the time. I pray this desire will continue to grow and I will have many more opportunities to teach God’s Word this coming year.

4)    Young people have tender hearts. This year I have been blessed to witness many young people either give their lives to Jesus for the first time or rededicate their lives to Him. Listening to them make confessions has given me a glimpse of their heart. Watching this take place never gets old. I pray 2013 will be an even bigger year for people, both young and old, confessing their sins and giving their lives to Jesus.

5)    Learning to be content will help improve your attitude. It’s so easy to focus on all the things we don’t have compared to others. This year I have been reminded how blessed I am. I have a wife who loves me even though I mess up often, a son who when I see him smile brightens my entire day and a God who loves and accepts me even though I fail Him too often. With these three things in my life, what more do I need. I am blessed!

6)    My wife is the greatest blessing to my ministry. I have often heard it said, “Behind every great preacher is a great woman.” Well, in my case this is not exactly true. Now before you flip out, let me finish. In my case, my wife is not behind me, she is right there BESIDE me. She is my sounding board, my editor, my encourager, my critic, my adviser and my biggest fan. Without her BY my side, my ministry wouldn’t be the same.

7)    If there was a bus going to heaven today, I would board it. Daily I am reminded this world is not my home; this is not the place we belong. It is because of this realization, although I love life here on earth, if I had the choice of going home today, I would take it. Heaven is the place we all belong and should long to go!

2012, although now passed, was a year I will always remember. It was the year I learned some valuable lessons I hope will carry over into this New Year. May 2013 bring you and your family health, happiness, peace and a renewed relationship with your heavenly Father!

What are some valuable lessons you learned over the course of 2012? Comment below.

Dec 21

We’re Still Here…

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Well, contrary to what many believed, we’re still here. The world has not ended yet, nor do I expect it to end at any point today. I say this, not because I know when the world is going to end, but because God’s Word teaches that no man knows when the world is going to end. Jesus said, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone” (Matt. 24:36).

The fact that people have predicted the world would end today is the very reason I don’t beleive the world will end today. Jesus went on to say, “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matt. 24:37-39).

Just as the people in Noah’s day continued on with their daily living, not knowing what was about to happen, people today will continue to be busy living their lives not expecting the Son of Man to return. Then, when we least expect it, the trumpet will sound, the dead shall rise and we will all be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (I Thess. 5:16-17). It is at this point every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess Jesus Christ as Lord (Phil. 2:9-11) and we (everyone) will all give an account of our lives before the Lord (2 Cor. 5:10).

Since we don’t know when the world is going to end, I mean, it could happen tomorrow, in a week, in a month, in a year or ten years from now, we must always be ready for the end to come. I find it sad and heartbreaking that for many, the only time they think about the end of the world is when someone makes a prediction about the end being near. As a disciple of Jesus, I must do my part to spread the word to the world that yes, the world is going to end someday, we just don’t know when the end is coming so we must always be ready (Matt. 24:44).

If the world ended today would you be ready to meet the Lord and give an account for your life?  My hope and prayer is for you to answer yes to this question. Sadly though, many will think they are ready, but will find out they are not when they stand before the Lord in judgment (Matt. 7:21-23).

We’re still here which means we still have time. Why not take the time today? Give your life to Jesus by submitting to His will and being baptized for the forgiveness of your sins (Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16).

How can we as Christians do a better job of teaching people the importance of being ready for when the end comes? Leave your comments below.

Dec 20

Are You Excited About Heaven?

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lets talk about heaven_t_nvAre you excited about heaven? If there was a bus going to heaven today, would you be ready to jump on board and go home? Many people claim to want to go to heaven, but few people want to go right now. Over and over I have seen the attitude, I want to go to heaven, I just don’t want to go today. My question is, why not?

What would be wrong with going home today? Is this world so great that the thought of leaving it for heaven is depressing? Paul said, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard and no heart of man can imagine what God is preparing for those who love Him” (I Cor. 2:9).

I’m afraid many people picture heaven as a monotonous place where all we are going to do is sit around and worship God. Yes, we are going to worship in heaven (Rev. 5:11-14; 7:9-12) and our worship is going to be the most amazing worship we have ever been a part of. However, Heaven is going to be so much more than our hearts can imagine. Consider a few of the things we will do in heaven.

  1. Serve God (Rev. 22:3-5). We will be blessed to serve in the very presence of THE Almighty God who made the earth and everything in it.

  2. Rejoice (Rev. 21:4-5). Heaven is going to be a place of great joy. There will never be a bad day in heaven.

  3. Celebrate (Lk. 15:10; 23-24). Heaven is going to be a big welcome home party for the children of God. It’s going to be an amazing celebration with our Father.

  4. Reunite (2 Sam. 12:23). In heaven we will be reunited with all of our loved ones who faithfully served God.

  5. Rest (Rev. 14:13) – We will finally understand what stress free, worry free, sin free, disappointment free, pain free and suffering free truly means. They will be gone forever.

Heaven isn’t going to be the monotonous place many people picture. Heaven is going to be unlike anything we have ever experienced. Does the thought of heaven get you excited about going home? It should!

What are you most looking forward to doing in heaven? Leave your comments below.

 

Dec 10

Reaching Non-Believers

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We live in a world where the majority of the people around us are lost and dying in sin. They are lost because they have never obeyed the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As people who probably have friends and family who are lost, what can we do to reach these people?

  1. Befriend them. Jesus ate with sinners and tax collectors, groups of individuals most people chose to avoid (Matt. 9:9-13). Why would Jesus go against the common practice of society? Jesus knew you couldn’t lead someone without first befriending them.
  2. Love them. The second greatest command is to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matt. 22:39). Jesus lived this commandment out daily. When He saw the crowds of people, Jesus felt compassion for them (Matt. 9:35-36).
  3. Serve them. Jesus came to earth to be a servant (Mk. 10:44-45; Phil. 2:5-8). If we want to make a difference in the lives of others and help lead them to Christ, we have to be willing to get our hands dirty (Jn. 13:12-14).
  4. Pray for them. Jesus spent a lot of alone time praying. Don’t you suppose at least some of His prayers were devoted to praying for the lost? In the Lord’s prayer of John 17, Jesus prayed for 1) Himself, 2) His disciples, 3) Future believers. What better way to reach non-believers than by praying for them on a continual basis and asking God to help you teach them.
  5. Teach them. I know this may seem like one of those “duh” moments, but I think many times we fail to act in this area. Jesus was about the business of teaching (Matt. 4:23; Mk. 6:6). How often do we teach those who are lost? As Christians, it’s our responsibility to reach out to non-believers and teach them (Matt. 28:19-20; Mk. 16:15; Acts 1:8).

Sin is a BIG deal and it’s time Christians started treating it that way! Let’s open our eyes and ask God to give us opportunities to reach the lost around us (Matt. 9:37-38).

Now that’s Something to Think About!

Dec 07

How Great Is Our God: A Seven Week Teaching Series

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My post today is out of the ordinary even for me. I’m not one who likes to do a lot of self-promotion for my website or the material I make available. However, today I can’t help but be excited about letting everyone  know about a new 7 week teaching series I have written for HASHTAG MEDIA.

Three things I love are studying the Bible, teaching the Bible and writing. By the grace of God and thanks to the awesome guys of HASHTAG MEDIA, I was blessed to participate in a project that allowed me to do all three.

After several months of hard work, How Great Is Our God: What God Wants Us To Know About Him is finally available for purchase. Here are some details about this book.

*7 Week Teaching Series* – Packed with illustrations, discussion questions, and a weekly faith building experience.

In this seven week teaching series, your students will grapple with the greatness of God. Most “churched” students come to worship on a weekly basis. They attend youth group, youth rallies and retreats. They sit through countless Bible classes and sermons. By all appearances, they may even seem to have it all together. Sadly though, many students don’t really know who God is, or the excellency of what Christ has done. This series is designed to help students gain a better understanding of the God they worship. This series examines six different promises of God, and what He wants His people to know about Him.

Lesson 1 – I Can Handle Your Doubts (Jeremiah 29:13)

Lesson 2 – I Have Big Plans for You (Jeremiah 29:11)

Lesson 3 – I Won’t Ever Abandon You (Joshua 1:9)

Lesson 4 – I Will Forgive You (I John 1:8-10)

Lesson 5 – I Don’t Send People To Hell (Matt. 7:21-23)

Lesson 6 – I Want You! (John 3:16-17)

Lesson 7 – Telling Others of God’s Greatness  (Mark 5:19-20)

When the series is finished, your students will truly be able to say, “How Great is Our God!”

If you are looking for a series to teach, why not check out this resource. If you aren’t a teacher, why not give it a read or give it as a gift to someone who you think might enjoy it.

My hope and prayer is for this book to be a blessing to everyone who reads and studies it for the glory of God. May our GREAT GOD receive all glory and praise.

Purchase How Great Is Our God from HASHTAG MEDIA.

http://hashtagmedia.us/collections/frontpage/products/how-great-is-our-god