This is an amazing video that we will be using in youth group the next two weeks.  If you are seeing this before youth group you are not cheating or ruining any of the fun. I have watched this video like 4 times and I haven’t got tired of it yet.

Enjoy here and come to youth group JR Wed 7-8:30p and SR Thurs 7-9p.

October 10, 2011

“180 Movie” – Ray Comfort

Ray Comfort confronts a culture that have forgotten history and now ignores the present. Is it possible that the horrific Holocaust that happened 60 years ago could happen again? Watch “180 Movie”. Watch it with friends. Discuss it. Do not leave unchanged!

September 8, 2011

The Providence of God

Anxiety and worry reside in anticipation. The outcome that is unknown. We fantasize about what these outcomes might be: the “good” outcome so that we might comfort ourselves and the “bad” outcome that we might prepare for the worst. Even if we feel we are prepared for bad situations, we will most certainly find something else that causes us to worry and fret.

Ultimately we have no real control; no persuasion over the circumstances of life and that is the scariest part of it all. I mean, bad things happen to good people, right? Being a good person doesn’t even guarantee that I will be safe. So how do we find comfort? Where can we look when there is chaos all around us and we are helpless? Certainly not to ourselves.

This is where the doctrine of “The Providence of God” finds its most practical footing. The providence of God is this: God is continually involved with all the created things in such a way that He (1) keeps them existing; (2) works with created things in every action directing them to function as he created them to function; and (3) directs them to fulfill his purposes. (paraphrased from Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, pg315)

This is a great definition. God preserves his creation. God works in and through creation. But the third is where I would like to land for a few minutes: God directs creation to fulfill his purposes. What is God’s purpose?

Well before we can proceed we must redefine our ides of “good and bad”. So far many would say that “good” is when things go our way and according to our plan, and “bad”, consequently, is when things happen that we do not like or are outside of our plan”. This is not God’s definition of “good and bad”.

Paul says in Roman 8.28 “Now we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose”. The “good” spoken of here may not be what we planned but we can trust that because we love God it is going to be the best for us. Even the “bad” things turn out for our good if we love the Lord and believe in Jesus.

God’s purpose for us to love God knowing that he loves us and want the best for us.

There is also an element of spiritual “mind over matter”.

James tells us that we are to consider/think about hard times as joyful times because when we endure these hardships it builds up within us character and then because of our joy and contentment we will lack nothing (James 1.2-4). The great philosopher…Kanye West, said “N-n-now that that don’t kill me will only make me stronger”. Well at least for a person that has the power of the Holy Spirit, he is right! Trials are to strengthen our faith in the Lord and then seeing God’s faithfulness will be encouraged the next time we face hardship.

God’s purpose then is that our faith is tested and we will be found joyful in the midst of trial and hardship.

Until four months ago I had an apartment in Chicago. There were many times I did not think I would make rent and I worried about it greatly but God always brought the money in (some months I barely had anything left over, but God provided). After a while I knew that I could trust God and the anxiety did not come back as easily. This was a time of testing for me. God was seeing if I would trust him.

My issues of rent pales in comparison to what others go through. Dale M., a elder at our church, has been waiting for a set of lungs for a while now. He has been called in twice to get them but at the last minute both surgeries were cancelled because the lungs were not a match. He is currently (9/1, 11:24 am) at the hospital for a third time to get a pair of lungs.

We are all praying that these lungs are a match. This is our desire, but we do not know the Lord’s plan. Let me tell you this though, God is in control. He has a plan in and for everything. He has a plan in and for life, life’s easy moments, life’s complications, and death. For the believer, Paul said that if we live for the Lord we are the Lord’s and if we die for the Lord then we are the Lord’s so that in living or in dying we are the Lord’s (Romans 14.8). What a comfort to know that we are the Lord’s and will always be His.

Dale M. knows this. He will be the first to tell you that God has a plan and we can trust Him. He said to me just the other day that maybe the Lord will come back before he gets his lungs and then we will all see Jesus together. He then exclaimed, “Wouldn’t that be cool”. Yes. Yes it would.

We don’t know why God is taking Dale and his family through this trial but let me share the greatest of God’s purposes.

Read this passage.

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

‘For who has known the mind of the Lord,

or who has been his counselor?’

‘Or who has given a gift to him

that he might be repaid?’

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”

(Romans 11:33-36 ESV)

God is bigger and greater then we can understand and therefore we cannot understand all of God’s reasons for accomplishing his purposes the way he does. Our response should simple be one of praise giving God’s glory for his acting and providence.

God’s purpose in all things is to be glorified.

So now we are praying. Praying that the lungs are a match and that the transplant goes well, but also praying that Dale and his family and all those connected to this situation would lean on the providence and sovereignty of God in this trial. That we would be praising God for his goodness and rejoicing that God has a awesome plan; a plan that will bring Him the most honor and glory and praise.