Time with God...

Paraphrase the account:

After talking to the disciples about being servant Jesus is troubled and tells them that one of them will betray Him. The disciples are stunned and try to find out secretly. Jesus tells Judas to go and do what he is going to do. After Judas leaves Jesus tells the disciples that He is getting ready to go to a place where they cannot follow (sitting at the right hand of the Father) and tells them that they must love one another as He had loved them. Then He tells Peter that he will deny Him 3 times before the rooster crows.

How can I apply this to my life?

Ø Jesus knows everything!

o Jesus knew Judas was going to betray Him (Judas did not catch our Savior off guard). The cool thing is that even though Jesus knew, He didn’t try to stop it because He loves us so much!

o He knows everything about your life (and my life) too. You cannot hide anything from God or turn Him on or off. This is why in everything we do we have to try to bring glory & honor to God.

Ø Love other believers.

o Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

§ So many times we fight with and get angry at other Christians. This hurts the cause for Christ because an unbelieving world looks at us and says, “Look at those hypocrites!” We are called to love one another. This love comes out as overflow from our love and devotion to Christ! SO STOP FIGHTING (LAY YOUR WEAPONS DOWN) AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

Time with God...

Thursday, March 18, 2010

John 13:12-20

Paraphrase the account.

Jesus instructs His disciples to be servants. He had just washed their feet before their meal to show them that even He (the Son of God) was a servant.

How can I apply this to my life?

Ø We are to serve others!

o By others I mean everyone. Those in the church, those in the world, and even your enemies (Matt. 5). Think about it Jesus washed Judas’ feet (who would shortly betray Him) and Peter’s feet (who would shortly deny Him).

o We can only serve others out of an overflowing love for God. You and I are born into sin and are inherently selfish. This means that we cannot be a servant on our own; we need help from the perfect, sinless servant, Jesus. This only comes by spending time with Christ through prayer and Bible study.

o Who have you served this week? Why have you served them? Was it to build yourself up or to glorify Christ (what was your motivation)? I’m challenged to serve and pray for God’s guidance and help.

Time with God...

Monday, March 15, 2010

John 12:23-36

Paraphrase the account.

Right after the triumphal entry into Jerusalem Andrew and Philip have a conversation with Jesus. Jesus reminds them to be focused on the kingdom to come (heaven) not where they are right now. Then Jesus begins to explain that this is the time that He will glorify the Father and God the Father speaks from heaven to agree with what Jesus had just spoken. Then Jesus tell the crowd that He must “be lifted up” (aka die). This causes some confusion with the people, because they thought the Son of Man was to reign forever, not die. Jesus again tell them that He will only be there a short while longer and that they should believe in Him.

How can I apply this to my life?

Ø STAY FOCUSED ON WHAT MATTERS…ETERNITY! Jesus says, “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep in for eternal life.

o Do you love your life here in this life? Do you ever think about life in heaven? I strongly encourage you to think about what life will be like in heaven on a daily basis. Remember if you are a Christ follower then you are just a stranger passing through with your home being heaven. If we can get focused on that the things of this world will slip from our minds and will be replaced with a great joy for our home (heaven) with Christ.

Ø Our main purpose in life is to glorify the Father.

o Jesus knew this too. Verse 27 shows us that part of Jesus’ goal in His death on the cross was to glorify the Father. What have you done today to bring glory to God? This can be done in many ways.

§ You can spend time with Him in prayer and in reading the Word

§ You can share what you know about Him with others

§ You can do the things He has commanded you to do with a correct motive

o I challenge you to make it you goal every day to bring glory to the Father and to be an imitator of Christ (Ephesians 5).

Time with God...

Thursday, March 11, 2010

John 11:30-44

Paraphrase the account:

In this passage we see the compassion and the greatness of Jesus. Mary leaves her home and comes to find Jesus. When she finds Him, He asks were His friend (and her brother) is buried. And on the way everyone is weeping, even Jesus! When they arrive at the tomb of Lazarus Jesus tells them to roll away the stone in front of the cave, prays to God, and then calls Lazarus by name and Lazarus walks out of the tomb alive! AWESOME!

How can I apply this to my life?

Ø What a beautiful picture of salvation here in these verses. We were dead in our sin but Jesus offers the free gift of salvation and if we take that gift we are raised to life in Christ. But we still struggle with the flesh (our sin nature). This was also the case for Lazarus, he was raised from the dead back to his old body (that would eventually die again) not his glorified body (which we will receive in heaven).

o Do you look forward to the day when Jesus calls you by name and leads you to a place where there is no more crying, dying, hunger, pain, etc? Or do you hope that event takes place further down the road? As Christians we should pray for Christ’s return on a daily basis.

Ø We know that Jesus was 100% God and 100% human but we see the humanness of Jesus here in these verses. We see the compassion of Jesus as He weeps for his friend Lazarus.

o Do you see Jesus as someone who compassionately loves you? Or do you see Him as someone with a huge list of things to do and not to do?

§ Don’t miss this JESUS LOVES YOU AND HAS A PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE! How we view God affects how we bring Him glory.

Time with God...

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

John 11:1-15

Paraphrase the Account:

Lazarus the Brother of Mary & Martha is very sick. So the sisters sent messengers to Jesus asking Him to come see Lazarus. Jesus tells the messengers that the sickness is not life-threatening but that Lazarus is sick to show the glory of God. Jesus waits a couple of day then tells the disciples that they are going back to Judea because Lazarus has died.

How can I apply this to my life:

Ø When you are worried about someone or someone you know is sick you should take that concern to Jesus (like Mary & Martha did). How many times do we just brush it out and forget that Jesus is the great healer and eventually raises Lazarus from the dead.

Ø Nothing is going to stop Jesus from getting the job done. In verse 8 the disciples question Jesus’ decision to go back to Judea, reminding Him that people almost tried to kill Him on their last visit. But Jesus goes anyway to reveal Himself to the disciples and to glorify the Father.

o If you don’t do what God has called you to do He will find someone else to get the Job done. No matter what God will accomplish what He set out to do.

o Will you trust God even when things don’t seem to make sense or will you just write Him off and go your own way? If the disciples went their own way they would have missed the miracle glorifying the Father.

Time with God...

Friday, March 05, 2010

John 9:26-41

Paraphrase the account.

The Pharisees continue to interrogate the formally blind man. The man gets a little sarcastic with them and then tries to speak truth about Jesus. When he does this the Pharisees tell him to scram. After his conversation with the Pharisees the blind man meets Jesus for a second time (now with the ability to see Him). Jesus asks if he believes in the Son of Man and the man tells Him that he does. “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”

How can I apply this to my life?

Ø God wants our total dependency. A blind man is completely dependent on the people around him. I think Jesus was saying that He came for those who would be totally dependent on Him. The Pharisees were the exact opposite. They were dependent on their selves and the law. And their practice of religion had blinded them to the Son of Man who was standing right in front of them.

o How many times are we blinded by the circumstances and business of life that we miss Jesus standing right in front of us. Are you totally dependent on Christ?

Ø I love that the blind man confesses Jesus as God and then right away begins to worship Him. That is what true belief will lead us to…worship!

Time with God...

Thursday, March 04, 2010

John 19:13-25

Paraphrase the account.

John continues his story of the blind man who was healed by Jesus. The people in the community who had seen this miracle go and bring the Pharisees to the formally blind man. The Pharisees hear the man’s story and immediately attack Jesus’ character (b/c Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath). They even call on the blind man’s parents to make sure the man was even blind to begin with. The parents confirm their son’s story and again the blind man is questioned. He just tells what happened to him, because that’s all he really knows.

How can I apply this to my life?

Ø Do not be like the Pharisees who completely missed the miracle of Jesus because they were so wrapped up in their religion. When miracles happen praise God, do not question Him or judge whether He did something good or not (in your eyes; b/c everything God does is good).

o When God does do something awesome do you miss it b/c you are too busy? Do the circumstances of your life shadow the mercies that God pours out on you daily? FOCUS ON CHRIST & BRING HIM GLORY!

Ø As Christians we need to be like the (formally) blind man. He did not understand the whole picture but he knew that Jesus has healed him, and he told others his story. We may not understand everything about God and His plan but we are called to tell others of how God miraculously saved us from our sin (and death).

o Have you told your story to someone this week? Are you excited about your story or ashamed (Rom. 1:16)?

Youth Pastor Summit Recap

I just got back from my first youth ministry conference and got to hear some amazing speakers talk about ministry. Speakers included Ed Stetzer, David Ferguson, Darren Whitehead, Brent Crowe, & Eric Geiger. The event was two days held in Orlando, FL. I also was able to connect with other youth pastors from all over the place. I just want to share with you some of the things that I learned and recap the two days for you!

The thing that I really enjoyed about this conference is that everything was focused on Christ. Ed Stetzer said that, "if you are the face of your ministry then you need to repent or resign! Christ should be the face of your ministry." David Ferguson encouraged us to stop telling our students what they can and cannot do (a list of do's and don'ts), and to instead teach Jesus and see them make the right choices. Whether it was our personal life or our ministry life we were encouraged to love and focus on Christ.

Other things I learned:

1. The dropout rate of students after high school is not as high if they are deeply rooted in the Bible. This means that we have to teach the Bible and think about what we want our students to look like when they leave our ministry. Ed Stetzer gave three components of depth - The pastor / preaching - small groups - and personal devotion & Bible study. We need to connect students to Christ, the Bible, and godly leaders.
2. We were challenged to rethink our view of Christ. In John 14:15 Jesus declares, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. " What do you think Jesus' demeanor was when He said that. Do you see Him with an inspecting / disappointed attitude? David Ferguson showed us that this statement was a promise from a loving Savior who is excited to have a relationship with us. He also explained that Jesus characteristics include sensitive, approachable, patient, gentile, & kind. He showed us that Jesus comforts those who are hurting, He pursues those who are falling, He prays for us, He provides for us, He welcomes us, and that all our hope can be found in Him. This is important because, as a Christian, our identity is found in Christ.
3. We learned that a disciple of Christ is more than someone who just knows more or does more than someone else. A true disciple has those qualities but also lovingly relates to God and others. We have to make students disciples of Christ by showing them that they belong in God's plan (they are a part of His big picture) and by encouraging them that they can change the world (Darren Whitehead). We were also taught to stay away from complexity and stay on mission so we don't drift away (Eric Geiger). We must have a clear process to simplify, deepen, expect, and multiply (Ed Stetzer).

It was an encouraging time that has made me rethink why we do the things we do for our students at Petra and what do we need to add so that students catch Christ's vision for their lives.

I'll close with a great question Brent Crowe asked. "When was the last time you rested your head in the chest of your Father (Christ) and knew you were at home?