The Relevant Disciple

This morning during my during my quiet time, I was studying in Romans chapter 1. Romans is a great book of theology, doctrine, and pure gospel. Paul clearly lays the foundation for the faith in the book of Romans. He challenged the believers in Roman to stand for God and for Jesus Christ the Savior of the world. Paul had a longing to seek to God and His glory and His will. Paul was focused on what Christ had done for Him and now what Christ was doing through Him. He realized what it meant to be an Apostle and a follower of Jesus Christ. God was using Paul in great and mighty ways and has continued for over 2000 years.

In verse 16 of chapter 1, Paul makes an interesting comment. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Let's take a moment and pick this verse apart. What is Paul telling us? First, he is clearly stating that He is not ashamed of Christ or of what Christ had done in his life. When Paul became a believer in Christ on the Damascus road, he gave everything to his new Lord and Savior. He had made a commitment that he was not going to back away from. Paul knew that if he was ashamed of the gospel then God would be ashamed of him. Paul was willing to take a stand even if he was the only one standing. Secondly, Paul realized two things about salvation. First it came from God. God is the one who opens our eyes to salvation. It is the power of God that redeems us. Secondly there is a choice that must be made by everyone who believes. It is not automatic nor is it forced. We have to except Christ personally. It is not universal. Lastly, Paul realized being a Jew that it begins with the Jews. Jesus was a Jew and salvation comes through the Jewish people. The Jews were and are God's people. From long ago He had anointed them as His people through whom He would save the world. Paul clearly understood what it meant to live for Christ. Paul challenged the Romans to live for Christ and is still challenging us to live for Christ.

It is much easier to die to for Christ and than to live for Christ. Are you ashamed of the gospel? Are you willing to live for Christ? Today I had my chance to show that I was willing to live for Christ. I got a phone call this afternoon, asking if one of the pastors could come to the hospital. A member of our church had a friend who was dying in the hospital and it is thought that he will not make it through the night. Our church member was concerned for the soul of his friend. Our pastor was off, so I went back to the hospital. As I drove back to Holston Valley I was praying that God would use me. I was scared, I had no clue who this man was or how he would respond to my visit. As I walked into the room I prayed silently God help me. I had a chance to talk to the man and his family. A member of his family told me that he had accepted Christ as Lord and Savior a week ago. Man was I over joyed. Christ had worked a miracle already. I had the opportunity to pray for this man and with his family. I pray that God will use me daily to reach people for Christ. I also pray that I will not be ashamed. Church, individual, Christian, we have the opportunity to bring about real change. Do not be ashamed of the gospel, because Paul was not. Live for Christ daily. May God bless you.

Wow! What a great time of worship we had during youth Sunday. God really has blessed our church and our youth. I am so thankful for all who participated in the service. The Youth Praise Band led the church in worship and I am so proud of them. I spent a lot of time praying for that service and God showed up in a great and mighty way. God has something in store for us as a church and I am not sure what it is but I believe that it is something big. God is moving in the hearts and minds of the teenagers here at FBC. Our teens are making a difference in the schools and for that I am thankful. They have started prayer journals, quite time studies, and much more. It is amazing to see God work in the lives of these teens. Continue to pray for the teens in our community and across the world. Evangelical Christianity is not dead. It is alive and our teens are taking a stand for Christ.

Up coming event that needs your prayers and promotion. United 4 Revolution is a Youth Rally sponsored by FBC and FFWBC. It will be held at FBC Church Hill on Thursday April 30th and May 1st. It will start each night at 7:00 p.m. The goal of U4R is to reach teens for Chirst. We are United to start a Revolution for Christ. Please pray for this event. For more information check out www.fbcchurchhillyouth.com/united.htm

Have you ever wonder why and how God calls people to do certain things? (I have). It was about 14 years ago that I received my call to preach. I had become a Christian about a year before that and was learning lots about Christ and His word. For me it started with questions. Questions about my purpose and questions about my plan, things like that. I started really praying for God's guidance and one day it came to me clearly. God was calling me to the preaching ministry. Was I scared, you better believe I was scared. I hated standing in front of people and speaking in public. How was God going to use me as a preacher if I hated speaking in public. Well I am still asking that same question but God has used me and for that I am thankful.

What is God calling you to do? Have you considered full time ministry or something else? Have you taken the time to really pray about this topic? I would like to encourage you to pray and ask God to guide you and show you what He has called you to do. We are all called to serve Him one way or another. For some it may be full time ministry and others it may simply be as a lay person in the church. Either way God is calling you to do something. Have you taken time to pray about God's calling, if not start today.

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him” (Colossians 1:15-16). Salvation is not something that is to be taken lightly. Salvation is the greatest gift that mankind can receive. It is exactly that, it is a gift not something that can be earned or taken. It must be received. It is the immortal and invisible God who is over all of creation that gives it to us. We are created by him and for him. Our understanding of salvation must be scriptural. So what is salvation and what impact does it have on people? Let’s take time to look at those questions and answer them thoroughly.

So what is salvation? It is the free gift that God gives each one of us who accepts His Son Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior. It is not something that is given to all people because not all people come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Simply put it is not universal. Jesus death was for the sins of the world but that does not mean that all have been forgiven because most people have not placed their faith in Him. Universalism is a dangerous and unbiblical view of salvation. Jesus is clear in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” It is only through Christ that one can come to salvation. Buddha, Allah, or any other god can not save. They are all dead or never existed. What about the ones who never heard the gospel? Well that is a hard question to answer but God makes it clear that no man or women can come to faith without calling upon the name of Jesus and having faith in Him and in Him alone. That means that those who have never heard the gospel can not be saved. That is sad but a Holy God demands a Holy Sacrifice. That is why the great commission is so important. It is our responsibility to take the good news of Jesus Christ to the world. It is our fault that we do not reach the lost. God has commanded his followers to reach out to the lost world.

Salvation is also much more than just a prayer. It is a complete commitment to Jesus Christ. That means that it is mental. Your life has to change, you can no longer life a worldly life. You have to be different. If you are the same today as you were when you expected Christ then maybe you are not a Christian. There has to be difference in your life. This does not mean that you will not fall or slip into sin, it means that you when you do slip into sin that the Holy Spirit is their to pick you up and restore you. It a great thing to be restored by the Holy Spirit.

So what kind of impact should salvation have on people? It should have an eternal impact. You should be willing to share what Christ has done in your life with other people. We should be willing to share Christ love with our friends and family. It should drive us daily to walk with God. It is an eternal impact.

I have to admit that I fall way to often and struggle to share my faith with others. It comes from a fear of rejection. I am scared that people will reject me when I tell them of Christ love but it is not me that they are rejecting, it is Christ. I must be strong in my commitment to Christ. I must be willing to share the gospel with my friends and family. We must all be willing to share the love of God. It is our calling and commandment. We are command by Christ to go and share His love. It is more important than any football game, basketball game, cheerleading competition, band competition, movie, job, tv show, or any other activity or event. It is the most important thing that we can do. Take time to share Christ with others today because you never know when it is to late.

I spent the weekend in Columbus, Ohio at The National Youth Workers Conference. It was both a great time of refreshment and renewal. I am excited about the future of youth ministry! I believe a revolution is coming. God has some great and wonderful things in store for this generation that is currently in Middle School and High School. There is something brewing out in the culture that can only come from God. Yes, a lot of junk and garbage is out in the world and our teens are walking in that garbage, but just as God has left a small remnant throughout history, their is a small remnant of teenagers who are willing to serve God. It is our responsibility as youth leaders to train these teenagers. We have a great responsibility that can not be taken lightly.

What gives me such hope? A pair of twin brothers that have been blogging and changing the thought of teenagers across the world. The two brothers are Alex and Brett Harris and they started a blog called The Rebelution when they were sixteen and it has changed the thoughts of teenagers across this country. Check out their website:http://www.therebelution.com/. I believe God has something great things in store. As a youth pastor my job and desire is help support the rebelution and start a new revolution. A revolution of teens willing to take back our country with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Get on board or get out of the way.

P.S. Later in the week I plan on writing a detailed blog on what is salvation. (It will be a detailed look at what it means to be a follower of Christ.)