Wednesday, August 31, 2011

FAQ: Help! I'm a new sunday school teacher and I have no clue what i'm doing!


First Day of Class: Congratulations, you have the honor of shepherding and equipping the souls of our youth. Please don’t take this responsibility lightly for we are judged accordingly. We have entrusted our youth to you so please be prepared, be spiritually ready, and expectant of God to move in your class. Also remember that your students have personally chosen your class so they are excited to be there. Here’s just a little bit of what I’d like for you to do on your first day:
1.       Introduce yourself

a.       Your profession, education, and place in life
b.      Your gospel story – why you’re doing this anyways?

2.       Pass out the “We want to know you” forms to every student & return them to Justin’s box in the office.

3.       Brief explanation of Sunday school
a.       Mainly for Christian education
b.      Designed to teach and equip in knowledge
c.       You get out as much as you put in.

4.       Introduce the class & pass out the syllabus
a.       Go through the schedule (also tell them class is from 11am – 12:20pm)
b.      Go through what they can expect for you & the class
c.       Go through what you expect from them.

5.       Teach lesson one (if it is on your syllabus)

Breakdown of class time:  We want you to maximize your time in class. Ok…we know that it’s not always going to be like this but here’s a good guide for you as teachers to follow. If you see the youth or their parents, let them know this is what we plan to accomplish in our Sunday school time.

5%          Prayer:

a.       Spend time praying for the students to understand more about Jesus through the class
b.      Spend time praying for the material that it might reveal Jesus or how it relates to Jesus
c.       Spend time praying for the teachers that they might teach more of Jesus.

60%        Education:

a.       Go through your given syllabus and curriculum

20%        Questions & Resources

a.       Allow students to ask relevant questions
b.      Each class provide resources for them to take home or for them to find

15%        Icebreakers/Games (if beneficial)

a.       Main purpose is to get the youth more comfortable with each other (building community)
b.      Object lesson that ties into the teaching

Important FAQs:

What if I can’t make one Sunday? You are currently paired up with other teachers, so make sure you look through your own calendar and see where you might possibly miss and have someone cover. If you cannot find someone to cover, please contact either Adam or Justin and we’ll take care of that for you.

What if a kid goes crazy? First, try to calm them down without causing too much of a scene. As another teacher to take them outside the classroom and see what the problem is. Follow up with their parents.

Where do I get more info about the youth group? All of core values, philosophy of ministry, and articles can be found online at www.cbc-youth.com.

Where can I get supplies? Just let Adam or Justin know beforehand and we’ll make sure you’re all taken care of. If you want to bring your own, that’s all good too.

What must I do in each class? Teach your students. Take attendance (found in the church office). Have fun. Worship Jesus. 

What if I’m scared out of my mind? You gotta breathe friend…just prepare the best you can and then just teach it. The Holy Spirit is the only one who can make sense of what we teach anyways. It is only He who can change the hearts of the hearers. So practice, learn from other teachers, and rely solely on the power of the Holy Spirit.

Do we really need to give them a test? Personally, I think if they’re coming to Sunday school then yes…there needs to be some kind of evaluation of what they’re learning. It makes no sense to expect students just to attend because it “makes them good people”. Theology…that doesn’t even make any sense. But on the same line…don’t kill your students by over-pressuring them. Remember, they need to understand the material too…that’s your job, help them understand.

Any more advice? Why yes…thanks for asking. Help them understand that it is not enough to just know the material…but we want to get them to a place where they can teach it to someone else. It moves them from passive learners to active learners. As a teacher, figure out ways for them to understand and to apply this. Nobody says teaching is easy…but YOU are doing this because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ first and foremost. Secondly, you’re doing this because you want to be obedient to the biblical commands of equipping and training the saints. Thirdly, you honestly believe that you are called to commend the works from one generation to the next. Good luck teaches. 

Monday, August 29, 2011

11 years later



i'm grateful for these guys that i call brothers. no it hasn't been all good, but God has definitely been good to us. i thank God every day that He has allowed our friendship to sustain, mature, and deepen...with each other and with Himself. here's to the next 11 years

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Don’t Forget Series | Don’t Forget Who We're Supposed To Be | Understanding the Church


Part 1: Who is the Church?
  1. The Church is made up of sinners saved by grace (Ephesians 2:1-10; Luke 5:27-32; John 8:2-11)
  2. The Church is made up of Christians throughout history (Heb. 11:4-40)
Part 2: Where is the Church?

  1. Church Universal (Gal. 1:13; Eph. 1:22; Col. 1:18)
  2. Church Local (Acts 13:1; Romans 16:1; 1 Corinthians 1:2) 
Understanding Baptism:

  • Jesus & disciples commanded baptism (Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:38)
  • It is not necessary for salvation (Gal. 5:1-12)
Purpose Of Baptism: 
  • symbolize regeneration or spiritual rebirth; 
  • commitment to the local Church; 
  • witness to the world
Uniqueness of CBC


History of CBC:
  • Begin with 25 people in a small Sunday school class at First Baptist Church on May 5, 1940
  • As the attendance grew to 75, First Baptist Church gave some money to start a new Chinese mission to build a new building in April 30, 1950. 
  • Rev. Travis Key and Dr. Hong C. Sit were the co-pastors of this independent Baptist Church with Dr. Paul Fan, George Bo-Linn, Yee Leo, Tommy Ligh, and J.B. Dott as elected deacons. 
  • In 1959, Rev. Lok-Tin Cheung moved from El-Paso to become the pastor at CBC and served for 30 years and saw 781 saved and baptized. 
  • In Nov. 1970, the church sold the church on 1823 Lamar and purchased 900 Brogden in April 1975. 
  • 2 Churches branched out: Houston Chinese Church (started by our Cantonese Chinese student Bible Study Fellowship in Jan. 1972) and Southwest Chinese Baptist Church in August 1980
Pastors:
  • Mr. T. K. Eng (1960); Marvin Raley (1969); Jimmy Leo Woo (1971-1974); Miss Terri LIgh (1980-1983)
  • Dr. Victor Wong (1989); Rev. Coleman Chong; Rev. James Wong; Rev. Frank Jenkins.
  • 1995: Sabrina Li; Rev. Johnny Jones; Steve Wei (1996); Dr. George Lim (1997); Albert Yeung ; Ivan Chung (1999); Rev. Ricky Leung (1999); Rev. David Eng; Ben Pun (2003); Kai Yuen (2008); Justin Wong (2008)


Part 3: Why the Church?

  • What is the purpose of the Church? (2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Col. 3:16; Eph. 4:12-13)
  • Worship God (as a continued response to the Gospel)
  • Equip the Saints (personal and corporate growth)
  • Cultivate the world (missions and sacrifice)
What is the purpose of our Church? 
  • Celebrate the King
  • Become Like Christ
  • Connect the Lost
Expectations as members:
  • Join in its vision
  • Support the church (tithe & serve)
  • Build community
  • Be involved (meetings, functions, and missions)
Common thoughts about the church:
  • “But there are people that I want to punch in the face that go to my church”
  • “There’s no way for me to go to all the church events!”
  • “But church is boring”

Friday, August 12, 2011

Don’t Forget Series | Don’t Forget Who You Were | Understanding the Gospel


Passage: Ephesians 2:1-10 (Structural & Expositional Outline)

Main Idea: We were dead in sin but God saved us by grace through Jesus

1.       And you were dead (1-3) A passage reminding Christians about their past. Paul always wants to remind the Christian (and the church) of where he/she comes from. The moment you forget what you have been saved from, you either become arrogant in your faith, fall back into works based salvation, or completely fall prey to playing some weird church game.

a.       Dead in the trespasses and sins: To be dead is the simple fact that you are completely unable to do anything about it. You have no power to get out. It’s not that you’ve been injured or you have the ability but choose not to…you are completely helpless. Then notice that Paul says what you’re dead in…both trespasses and sins
Trespasses are the violation of moral standards. There are all these times when we know that we ought to be doing something but we either ignore it or justify us not doing it. We also continue to fall into the same trespasses over and over again.
Sin is the departure from human or divine standards. The first thought is the Ten Commandments. But more than that, we fail constantly to ever attain to God’s standard of holiness. We constantly fall short of ever attaining this standard.

                                                               i.      Following the course of this world: we do this the way we pattern our thoughts, our time, and our worldviews. The world seems so much more attractive than anything else so we go ahead and chase after it. We buy into different philosophies and ideologies that in the end aren’t glorifying to God in any way.

                                                             ii.      Following the prince of the power of the air: Paul is making it very clear that Christians were once disciples of Satan. He doesn’t say that some people were…but everyone was at one point (or currently)

1.       The spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience: Satan is currently at work in our world today. In people today. We don’t recognize it because it’s subtle in our culture. We don’t want to admit that Satan is currently working in our friends, family, neighborhoods…and at one time, in us.
a.       Among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh: Again, Paul is reminding the Christian that we are guilty of absolutely gratifying our selfishness at any cost. Whatever our hearts could justify…we were going to go after it

b.      Carrying out the desires of the body and the mind: we did whatever our body and mind wanted to do. This relates to the previous phrase…but whatever our hearts desired, we had no restraint and we just did it physically, emotionally, and sexually…and we justified it mentally.

2.       Were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind: He again reminds us of the consequences of being dead in sin and following Satan. He explains that we were born into sin and as result enemies of God. It is inherent in our nature to sin and it is our reality that we do so without any hope of getting ourselves out.

2.       But God (4-7) Remember that we were dead without any hope of getting out. Remember that we followed the pattern of this world without any knowledge of anything better. Remember that we didn’t want anything to do with God and instead wanted to fulfill our own selfishness and our own wants and because of all that…we were enemies of God. But God, out of nothing man could possibly do…

a.       Being rich in mercy: Interesting to note that God is described as being “rich” in mercy. Meaning God has more than enough and it is actually his character. His mercy is juxtaposed with verses 1-3.

b.      Because of the great love with which he loved us: The focus has drastically shifted from our sins, our futility, to now God’s mercy and love. Again, the verse highlights God’s character of love.

c.       Even when we were dead in our trespasses: Scripture reminds us God has come to save sinners, not morally clean religious people. Romans 5:8 says that God showed his love for us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. If Christ died for us while we were still sinners, then 1) he knew the nature of our sin; 2) he knew the path that follows afterwards; 3) he went willingly to the cross

                                                               i.      Made us alive together with Christ: God is the one who actually takes what is dead and gives it new life. We have evidence that God can and does do this because we see what happened with Jesus. We are no longer bound to sin and the gnawing frustrations of the flesh. Our purpose and worldview has now been completely made new.

1.       By grace you have been saved: It had nothing to do with us. We were the passive (receiving) agents in this transaction. God’s grace was the thing that saved us.

                                                             ii.      And raise us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus: Not only has God saved us, but now he gives us a secure place of honor because of Jesus Christ.

d.      So that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus: because of Jesus, God has more in store for his children. Scripture says that he does this on earth through sending pain and joy to strip away our idols and give us the true fullness of life. He does this by using his children to reach the nations with his Gospel. He does this by redeeming culture by the preaching of his word

3.       Summary (8-10)

a.       For by grace you have been saved through faith: A final reminder that it is God who saves us. He adds in here ‘through faith” to reiterate the fact that our salvation is through faith in Christ…nothing else. Our faith is placed in the atoning work of Jesus on the cross and the implications of his life.

b.      This is not your own doing: You think Paul is trying to make a point here?

                                                               i.      It is a gift of God: salvation and even faith itself is a gift from God. Remember, we were dead…so even the faith to believe in God in the first place was a true gift.

                                                             ii.      Not a result of works: we did nothing to earn our salvation, we weren’t good enough, smart enough, or religious enough to earn our salvation.

                                                            iii.      So that no one may boast: nobody stands in front of God and justifies himself. We had nothing to boast about. We have nothing that God wants. God doesn’t need us to further his kingdom. We rely solely on his grace for salvation. You answer the question, “Why should I let you into my Kingdom?” with “Jesus paid it all” not “well I…”

c.       For we are his workmanship: the fact that Paul uses the Greek word “poema” to characterize God’s people is astonishing. We are created in the “imago dei” the image of God unlike all of creation. We have all been wired differently to show his glory. After all this explanation of how we’re dead and doomed, but God saved…Paul breaks into a poem of his own.

                                                               i.      Created in Christ Jesus for good works: Paul doesn’t drop the fact that Jesus is the creative conduit. All the children of God has good works for their end

                                                             ii.      Which God prepared beforehand: and those good works were predestined before we were created. If we truly understand that God had in mind to save us, use us, and bless us before we were created as enemies of God…then how much greater is this grace?

                                                            iii.      That we should walk in them: may our purpose be changed once God has saved us. Let us not fall back into verse 1-3 where we gratified the natural self.

Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Radical: David Platt: Chapter 2 Notes

Too Hungry for Words: Discovering the Truth and Beauty of the Gospel

Question: Do we truly hunger for the Word of God? Or are we comfortable with knowing what we have already learned? Is there an innate sense to study and hear and learn truths from God's Word? What do you think would happen if we didn't offer any more programs, no more luxuries to church services, and all we provided was that the Word of God would be taught? What then? Do you think our people would still come?

Secret Church: The idea that we get back to the fundamental task of simply studying and learning the Bible. The question is "what is it about God's Word that creates a hunger to hear more? And not just hear the Word but to long for it, study it, memorize it, and follow it?" (28)

  • Understanding the Gospel: Fundamentally, the gospel is the revelation of who God is, who we are, and how we can be reconciled to him. 
    • Who He Is:
      • The Gospel reveals the glory of God (the full picture of God). Does God really love the sinner and just hate the sin? What verses/theologies do we tend to pick-and-choose from? 
      • "We are not ready to give him what he asks for because our hearts are set against him" (30)
    • Who We Really Are:
      • We are each born with an evil, God-hating heart (c.f. Gen. 8:21; Luke 11:13; Eph. 4:18; 2 Cor. 4:4). 
      • We have the truth, yet we constantly rebel against it (sometimes we don't know why)
      • The Gospel confronts us with the hopelessness of our sinful condition (31). We love to deceive ourselves by thinking that we are better than we really are. We cannot saves ourselves, we cannot save others, and we cannot program it either. How does this change  the Gospel presentation for CBC? How should this affect our evangelism strategy? How does this change the way we preach? 
    • What (Or Whom) we Really Need: 
      • "As long as you and I understand salvation as checking off a box to get to God, we will find ourselves in the meaningless sea of world religions that actually condemn the human race by exalting our supposed ability to get to God. On the other hand, when you and I realize that we are morally evil, dead in sin, and deserving of God's wrath with no way out on our own, we being to discover our desperate need for Christ." (34)
      • To understand the Cross of Christ, one must understand the cup of God's wrath. It is in reference to God's divine judgment. God's wrath, since the beginning of the world, poured out on the holy Son of God. Why did God "turn"? God turned away because he could not bear to see your sin and my sin on his Son. 
So what is the proper response to all of this? 
  • What does this mean for us personally? 
  • What does this mean for us sacrificially? 
  • How do we teach our church members these things? 
  • How do we teach our visitors? 
  • How should this change our prayers?
Note: 
  • Jesus confronts the religious person about his FALSE sense of security in religion. 
  • The danger of spiritual deception is real. 
  • Understanding this ought to radically shape the way we live, think, and have our being. 

Sunday, August 07, 2011

Spiritual Growth

Spiritual Growth: Striving to know Jesus

Introduction: I think historically, this topic of spiritual growth is treated much like working out. Like, everyone knows we’d ought to be doing it but nobody actually follows through. And no, I’m not saying if you work out you’re spiritual (I just felt some guys go, “No problem”) What I mean is that there’s a lot of times when we go to camps or hear a message that inspires us or maybe convicts us to grow deeper in our spiritual walk and we leave going “Alright, I’m going to be super spiritual now. I’m going to do my devotions every day…memorize the bible and by the end of Tuesday be able to walk on water.” So we end up leaving camp or church and right afterwards we completely eat it and we pretty much get owned in the face. So what am I saying? Growing spiritually is impossible? Uhhh…well, take a look at this with me:
1 Chronicles 20:3   3 He brought out the people who were in it, and cut them with saws and with sharp instruments and with axes. And thus David did to all the cities of the sons of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
Wait…that’s not it, here’s what I’m talking about:

Psalm 63:1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 
The Task: Have you ever been to that place in your spiritual journey where you’re just kind of sick of it all? I’m not talking about self-pity or angry girl music (no offense if you like angry girl music), but I’m talking about wanting more out of church and this whole “Jesus” thing? Don’t you ever get sick of just playing this “church game” and have wondered to yourself, “Man, I want more…much more than what I see going on”? And it seems like our boy David here in Psalms 63:1 is saying the same thing. I mean look at the way he puts it – “my soul thirsts for you”. There’s an unrelenting passion that us church folk rarely see. Usually we’re stuck in this “eh…it’s whatever” kind of phase but David is going “I want you, I need you…if I don’t have you I’m going to die!” (Man, that was weird even to type). But no matter how hard we try, no matter how much we want to grow, it feels at times that we hit some kind of wall. You know what I mean? Like, I understand David here in this Psalm…I want to be there… but sometimes I can’t seem to ever get there.

So I’m going to be completely honest with you…if this is a game to you – if coming to church and just attending is something that is routine but there’s nothing else…then this lesson isn’t really going to do anything for you. If there’s really no desire to learn, to grow, to push deep…then I’m sorry, but this really won’t mean much to you. Actually, I’m pretty sure you’re not going to finish reading this paper (which makes me kind of sad). BUT, if you’re tired and you want more, if you’re honestly searching and desperately wanting to grow deeper…then let’s go, but I’m warning you, we got some work to do.
I need you to understand something first though – the reason why I believe that it is impossible to grow spiritually is because this “growth” is NOT up to us. Wait, what? Yeah…sorry guys, but what I understand biblically…this spiritual growth (growing deep spiritually) is something that only God can do (Rom. 9:16; 1 Cor. 12:18; Heb. 6:3). So what in the world are we supposed to do? And doesn’t scripture say that we “should be” doing something to grow? I told you this was hard. Here, I need you to get this…you and I need to do all that we can to position ourselves under the hand of God and pray and trust that He will move. Let me say it like this – “regardless of the reaction/response of ______, you and I are still to be faithful to what we’re supposed to be doing.” Did you get that? We do all that we can to position ourselves to receive God’s blessing, we position ourselves to hear from God, we position ourselves to experience more of him…and then we Psalms 40 and “wait patiently for the Lord” to move. So how do we position ourselves? I’m glad you asked. Here are some things that I have found biblically that has helped me in my journey that I don’t think you can avoid if you want to grow spiritually:

I.                    Depth (Ps. 63:8; Prov. 6:9; Eccl. 12:13; Ezek. 18:32; Lk 5:32; Jn 10:10; Rom. 8:18)

We kinda addressed this earlier but I’ll hit on this again. This isn’t so much an action you can do as much as it is a mindset that God has to give you. Researchers say that 80-90% of teens who are not actively involved and growing will drop off by their freshmen year of college. It’s because many of them don’t believe that church, Jesus, spiritual growth is essential. You guys treat it as if it’s some kind of buffet where you can choose what you want to believe and leave off what you don’t like. But what I’m honestly scared for you about is the fact that many of ya’ll don’t really care. I mean, you’ll attend fellowships, bible studies, etc…but deep down inside you could care less. And here’s the question: “Do you take this stuff seriously?”

I feel like so many of us are concerned about doing doing doing and ok, I love programs and events, but here’s the thing…if you’re not growing deep, then what are you doing? Because you can graduate high school and be like “man that was a fun youth group”, but if you don’t have a thriving relationship with Jesus and others…then what are you doing? That’s a legit question right? Church becomes this lame hobby if it’s just something that we do. And I’m not trying to be a jerk…but I do need to push you a little harder to really think about where you’re at right now and kinda give you a reality check. Because I don’t want you to wake up 20 years from now and only know facts about Jesus and not really know him.
And here’s a side note: If you have honestly taken time to invest yourself in a church and youth group but still haven’t been able to grow…then please find somewhere else where you can grow. I’m not saying to drop your church because it stinks. If you’re the type of person that continues to say that there’s all these problems in the church and how they’re not meeting your standards and you can do things better and that’s why you should leave…I’m sorry, but that’s your sinful pride that you need to repent of. I’m talking to those who have put in the effort in trying to grow but can’t really connect and grow deep…then I’d say perhaps there might be another place that does ministry well that you might be able to grow deep. Look…there’s only 1 church here and that is the church of Jesus. I always tell my youth – if you honestly feel that you can’t grow deep here…please go find some other place. Because we’re more worried about your spiritual depth than our numbers. Depth sets the framework for the rest of these other values.

Questions you need to ask:
·         Do I honestly know this Jesus and his Gospel?
·         Do I really care about growing spiritually or am I just playing the “church game”?
·         Am I being lazy about my spiritual growth?
·         Am I putting in the effort to grow spiritually?
Resources for Depth:

·         http://theresurgence.com
·         http://www.desiringgod.org
·         “Christian Beliefs” by Wayne Grudem (Reading Level: Beginner)
·         “Don’t Waste Your Life” by John Piper (Reading Level: Beginner)
·         “Radical” By David Platt (Reading Level: Moderate)
·         “The Reason for God” by Timothy Keller (Reading Level: Moderate)
·         “Orthodoxy” by G.K. Chesterton (Reading Level: Advanced)
·         “Knowing God” by J.I. Packer (Reading Level: Advanced)

II.                  Community (Rev. 2:4; 1 Pet. 2:1-2; Heb. 12:1-2; Col. 1:21-23; Phil. 2:1-4; Eph. 4:1-6)

This one is going to challenge you a little more than you want. But remember our goal here – spiritual growth right? I think with the boom of technology that gave way to gateway relationships (facebook, instant message, texting, twitter, etc.) community has suffered a tremendous hit. And this is what I mean…I grew up in a generation that really didn’t have too much of the internet/cell phone craze yet. When we wanted to talk to someone, we’d have to pick up our house phone, make sure someone else wasn’t using the phone and then call the person we wanted to talk with. That or just go meet them up face-to-face. What’s been going on now is that most of our relationships are through a gateway like texting or facebook. I mean, there’s still a relationship, but it’s one that we have the ability to switch on or off. Like when you don’t feel like talking to someone you can look at your caller id and don’t pick up…or you just don’t return their text. Not only do people nowadays have a hard time communicating with real people, but the aspect of community is completely lost. Here’s a simple question: “How well do you know your friends, family, your church members?” I’m not talking about knowing about them…but how well do you know who they are, what they’re dealing with, what makes them smile…beneath the surface-type stuff? You see…community, biblical community, happens in the context of relationships…and very few of us ever want to invest in those types of relationships. I wanna show you what this looks like biblically so turn to Rev. 2:3.

If you’ve grown up in church or have gone to camps, I’m pretty sure you’ve heard this message. Jesus is addressing the church at Ephesus and he goes “good job on enduring their hardship and good job being doctrinally sound” and everyone cheers but then it gets weird because Jesus says “but I have this against you…that you have abandoned the love you had at first”. And then the preachers tell us “That’s right! You’ve left Jesus…go back to Jesus! He’s your first love” and totally overlook the next verse. So look at it with me – verse 5 “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first”. Ok, so Jesus is rebuking the church for abandoning their first love AND telling them to do what they did at the beginning. So the question is “What did they do at the beginning?” Turn with me to Acts 19. When we first hear about Ephesus it’s in the book of Acts…great book to read btw. Look at verse 18 “Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices and a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all…” So what did the church in Ephesus do at first? They were open and honest about whom they were…and then they moved on it and made it public. Wait…are you asking me to confess my sins openly and publicly? You don’t know what I’ve done! Here’s the thing…and I just need to ask you this - All that energy you’re using to hide your flaws and your dirty past…how’s that working for you? You know that feeling when you’re in a relationship and then all of the sudden you hit this wall either because your past has crept up on you or you realize that that other person loves a “version” of you and not the “real” you? It’s draining man! That’s why in Luke 7:36ff a dirty dirty woman comes to Jesus (and I bet she’s terrified because she kinda knows who he is and because there’s religious people there) and just opens her heart to him. And she goes “this is who I am…this is what I’ve done…if you are who you say you are Jesus, please heal me and save me!” And Jesus turns to her and says “your faith has saved you; go in peace.” You see friends…Jesus never asks that you and I clean ourselves up first before we come to him…we just come to him honestly and he saves us.

How does this help me grow spiritually? I think a lot of you have gotten really good at pretending to be someone you’re not. And as much as it kills you to walk into church and put on an “I’m ok” face, you’re dying to open up to someone. Scripture tells us that the church should be a safe place for us to open up and be honest with one another – why? Because we’re all friggin’ sinners and none of us are better than the next guy…that’s why Jesus has to save us. So I beg you to lay down your pride and find healing.

Questions you need to ask:

·         Are you playing church all by yourself?
·         Do you allow people into your life that can challenge you, call you out, and encourage you?
·         Are you honestly looking for a small group to be open and honest with?
·         Do you even know what church membership means?
·         Do you need to find a church to plug into?

Resources for Community:

·         “Essential Church” by Thom Rainer
·         “Vintage Church” by Mark Driscoll
·         “Church History in Plain Language” by Bruce Shelley
·         “Turning Points” by Mark Noll

III.                Service (Matt. 5:13-16; Isa 58; Eccl. 11:1-4; 1 Cor. 12:4; Eph. 3:10)

I’ll tell you why taking Jesus seriously is kind of difficult…because it’s easy to be a nominal believer, but it’s a whole different thing when he’s asking you to deny yourself and take up your cross daily. One of the top 5 reasons for divorce today is: selfishness. We think that the world was created for us and we are at the center of this universe and God is actually there to provide for me when I need it, there for me to blame when something happens, and to get out of my way when I want to do something. Sound familiar? I promise you nobody will ever say that but when you observe how people live their lives and the stuff that comes out of their mouths…it isn’t too far off from the truth. Many of us have grown up thinking that we deserve. That our talents, gifts, abilities, money, success, popularity, beauty…all of that is because of who we are and because either we earned it or because we’re better than then next person. Hang on there before you lynch me turn to Romans 1 real quick and let me show you it’s not what I said but I’m just the messenger.

If you read through 18 on, Paul is going to say that sinful humans act like sinful humans. And it goes something like this: God pleads with his people to turn and repent because he knows that the stuff their dealing with (pride, lust, bitterness, faithlessness, drugs, cutting, envy, self-loathing, etc.) will eventually take their life. But because the people will not listen and they turn on their ipods to drown out the conviction of the Holy Spirit, God demonstrates his wrath on them by allowing them to continue in their sins. He goes “if that’s what you want…that’s what you get.”  It gets so bad to where in verse 28 the people have forgotten God altogether and they start thinking that their talents, time, abilities, and whatever was originally theirs. Do you see what happened? When pride is full blown and you start thinking that you had a say in your success, that you think you deserve this or that, and when you no longer acknowledge God and heap blame on him…you’re off my friends. And I worry for you again because many of us fall prey to this American thinking that we’ve done it, we’re the best…and all the while we don’t realize that everything that we have and all that we are was a gift to us by the grace of God.

Ok, so if you notice that this is true in your life…repent and do everything in your power to live differently. How? First, I think you ask God to change your heart and allow you to view life differently. That God might kill your pride and allow you to view money, your time, your energy not for you…but for pushing back what is dark in this world. Did you know that in Ephesians 3:10, God says that He is going to display his manifold wisdom through the church – you and I? And I promise you it’s not because we’re “morally good” people, but when the church (you) start using your money in a way where it says “it’s only money, let me use it to bless others because God has given it to me”…people sit back and think it’s strange but perhaps they’ll say “hmm…there’s something different there”. You see…when you start understanding this concept of service, money no longer owns you and you can give it away freely because Ps. 89:11 says that the earth is his and everything in it.

Questions you need to ask:

·         When people see my life, can they tell that I’m living in accordance to God’s word?
·         Am I using my time, money, energy, and talents to pursue the things of God?
·         Do I spend more time on myself or on others?
·         What do I need to do consistently to push this idea of biblical service?

Resources:

·         http://www.compassion.com
·         http://www.cisnt.org/
·         http://www.championsofhopedallas.org/home.php
·         http://www.cornerstonedallas.org/
·         “Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World” by C.J. Mahaney
·         “The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World” by John Piper
·     "For the City" by Darrin Patrick and Matt Carter


IV.                Truth (Ps. 119:9ff; Prv 1:2;-7; Jer. 29:19; Jn 1:1; 14:6; Acts 19:8)

I believe most of us are going to have our problems on this issue. You know I grew up in the church all my life. My dad has always been a pastor and I pretty much did every church event you can think of. But somewhere in my college career I sat down and asked myself “What do I really believe?” And you know what? I had no clue. When it came down to it…I was able to make up a bunch of stuff but I didn’t really know my stuff and worse off, I didn’t believe it. Here’s this next challenge to grow deep – do you really know your stuff? And be honest now because this does matter. But you might go “Who cares if we know or don’t know everything there is in the bible!” I’m not saying that you have to know it word-for-word, but how in the world are you going to worship a God that you don’t really know? How are you going to “follow Jesus to the fullness of life” if you have no clue what he asks of you? Honestly, it’s how cults and the occult come from. People get together and go “this is what I think God is supposed to be” or “the god I know doesn’t do this or that”. And there you go…you’ve just created your own religion that is NOT biblical Christianity. And the reason why I gotta push you on this area is because many of us know God like I know Michael Jordan. I can give facts about him all day long, but in the end if I were to show up at his house I’d be arrested.

So why is this so crucial for spiritual growth? Well we’ve said part of it already…you can’t worship someone who you don’t know. If you look at John 14:6 truth isn’t some thing, it’s some one. Jesus is the truth. Eh…what does that mean? It means, that if there’s any truth out there in this world…it all comes back to the person of Jesus. Like if there’s anything truth in a man and a women coming together in true soul-connecting, sacrificial relationship…it relates to how God pursues you and I. If there’s any truth in a father constantly cleaning up the mess of his newborn infant with unconditional love…that truth is found in how God is always patient with you and I even though we continue to mess up and he always has to clean us up. Do you see it? And let’s take it down another level. I believe that if we really study this scripture of ours that leads us to Jesus…we wouldn’t be where we are. I don’t believe you can really be a Christian and not be changed or constantly growing. You can’t do it. How do I know this? Because Scripture testifies to it over and over again…John 14:15; Phil 1:6. Actually, I think if people knew what Jesus really asks of them in order for them to be “Christian”, then I don’t think a lot of people would buy in. I mean, there are some stuff in this sacred text of ours that is so counter-cultural that it makes us look like fools. But here it is…how seriously do you take this faith? Because here’s the thing: if the bible is useful but not necessarily true, you have left what is distinctly Christian.

Questions you need to ask:

·         Do I honestly know Jesus? Do I honestly know what the Gospel is?
·         Do I long to study scripture in order to find more of Jesus?
·         Do I understand the elementary teachings of this faith?
·         Do I need to further myself in learning about this faith through scripture, church history, systematic theology, apologetics, comparative religion, and doctrine?
·         Do I need to find someone who can guide me to deeper waters?

Resources:

·         www.equip.org
·         http://www.covlife.org/resources
·         http://www.swbts.edu/
·         http://www.dts.edu/
·         “How to read the bible for all its worth” by Gordon Fee
·         “Grasping God’s Word” by J. Scott Duvall
·         “Systematic Theology” by Wayne Grudem
·         “City of God” by St. Augustine
·         “Desiring God” by John Piper

V.                  Missions (Acts 17:30; Ro. 2:1;Est 4:14; Neh. 1:4ff)

Alright, we’re going to push this spiritual growth thing a little further now. You ready? Get excited! According to Acts 17 God places us where we are on purpose. I mean think about it…why did God place you in the United States, in this state, in this city, with certain parents, at a certain school, and in a certain neighborhood? I mean, who’s to say that you weren’t born in a war-torn nation where 75% of kids don’t make it past the age of 15? Why do you get to drive when you’re in high school when others can’t afford their next meal? And look, I’m not trying to make you feel guilty…I’m trying to open your mind and ask the real questions. So when you dig through those questions you come to the conclusion of “mmm, I really didn’t have much say in my place in life” So perhaps, then, God put you where you are, with what you have, for a reason. Now what’s that reason? Just like we said in service, our time, talents, gifts are not given to us for us…but to make God famous. And this is why it gets exciting – because most of our Christian lives we were told that “missions” was a week-long trip to some kind of ghetto playing with kids and coming home feeling good about ourselves. Ok, I agree with and encourage you to go see the world and do whatever you can to spread the Good News, but in the same breath God has placed you where you on purpose. You are now on your mission field. So that Starbucks that you go to every morning for your $7.45 mocha caramel mint frappuccino latte is your mission field. It’s not an accident that you live where you live and go to school where you go to school. So that means your barista is your mission field, your peers at school is your mission field, the homeless dude around the corner is your mission field and so on.

The reason why we’re so stinkin’ bored with our faith is because we thought it was about us. I’m telling you friends that’s the furthest thing from it. When you start to see life in this picture, growing spiritually deep has to do with being faithful to what God has called you to and according to Matthew 28, he’s called you to your mission field now. What does this look like? Well for me, I go to the same restaurant over and over again. Not only because I love corned beef hash and eggs…but because I go there to know my waiters and waitresses. I ask them what their names are. Nothing creepy, just “hey, I’m Justin…tell me your name again?” And then the next time, I address them by their name and go “hey…so how’s everything going today? Have a good weekend?” And you just build from there. Eventually Santo the busboy and I hold a conversation when he has some time and we just chat about life. It’s nothing super spiritual but what ends up happening is they’ll start asking you about your life and why you do the things you do and bam! – you get a window of opportunity to share Jesus with another person.

Questions you need to ask:

·         Have I been neglecting my mission field?
·         How do I conquer my fear of rejection or pride when speaking with others?
·         Where do I go on a regular basis that I can talk to the people there?
·         Am I consciously avoiding bringing up spiritual things with friends?
·         Am I ashamed to stand firm in what I believe?
·         How can I challenge myself more to become more missions-minded?

Resources:

·         http://www.fluidmission.com
·         http://thetask.org
·         http://msfdn.org
·         “Too Small to Ignore” by Wes Stafford
·         “Jesus Freaks” by DC Talk
·         “Atheism REMIX” by Albert Mohler
·     "Worldviews" by John M. Yeats

VI.                Discipleship (Gen. 12:1-3; Ps. 145:4; Deut. 6:4; Mt 28:18-20; 2 Tim. 4:1-2; Eph. 4:12)

Have you ever been in that room where there’s that one person whom you kind of roll your eyes at whenever they open their mouths? Or is that just me? Or say you’re out somewhere and there’s that one kid who seemed to lack to “proper” social skills? My pride has made me extremely cynical of people and as much as I hate to admit it, I’m very quick to judge. But what I’ve realized after a good long look into my own soul and trying to understand the heart of God is that yes I think people’s action does cost them just consequences, but I also think that many times they were just not properly trained. Like they never had someone in their lives to teach them – to show them what’s right and what’s wrong. Here’s the thing…it’s so easy to sit back and judge everyone. It’s easy to complain about what kind of lousy youth group you have or judge the person on the stage. And we come off with this idea that we know best and we’ve done it all (despite the fact that most of us can’t vote yet)…we know how to run things so they should just listen to us. But the hard part is getting off of your butts and going out there and doing something about it. Ok, so you think you know everything there is to know about Jesus and Christianity and you’ve heard it all before…fine, go out there and teach. If you do your study biblically, Jesus puts this command on our lives “You are to equip the saints for the work of the ministry…so that the body of Christ may be built up.” Did you catch that? This is what discipleship is. Perhaps we have defined this word incorrectly in the past. For many of us, discipleship means “read this book” or “go to this class”…but Jesus meant it for a life-long process. And it is a process.

In Matthew 4:18ff we see how Jesus called his disciples. He invites them into something that demands commitment and dedication and the disciples go for it. They leave everything – their families, their occupations, safety, security…and follow him. It’s the same call for us. It is a life-long process in which Jesus begins to teach, correct, rebuke certain things in our lives and we slowly grow. Much like that is the case with Jesus and us in a process of discipleship, we too ought to have that mentality. It’s grabbing someone younger and going “hey…let me know show you the best possible life – the way of Jesus”. And we show them how it is to live the way of Jesus. We show them how to feed themselves, what do we do when life comes crashing down on us, how we handle this and that situation…and so on. But I think it’s more than just studying the Bible, it’s how to grow up in life – it’s also practical life skills (i.e. how to change a tire, how to cook, how to deal with insurance) but we show them the basis and foundation of all things and lead them to Jesus. And here’s the thing we tell our youth all the time (and I think it’s crucial for living out this spiritual depth): you always need to find someone to mentor you. Why? Because you’re not the smartest person in the world and you haven’t done everything. Find someone who can teach you how to grow spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Next, find someone who is a peer who can keep you accountable for your life…someone you trust that can call you out and that you can be open and honest with. Lastly, find some people younger than you whom you can pass on your wisdom, your failures, and your spiritual growth. So they being to model your life as you model after Jesus’ life.

Questions you need to ask:

·         Who do I know that is spiritually mature enough to be my mentor?
·         Do I need to be actively looking for a mentor, accountability partner, and disciples?
·         What are some crucial things that I should leave to the next generation?
·         Am I doing a good job equipping and training this next generation?
·         Do my disciples know the Gospel and the core truths of Christianity?

        Resources:

·         www.cbc-youth.com
·         “Parenting with Kingdom Purpose” by Richard Ross
·         “Basic Christianity” by John Stott
·         “The Cost of Discipleship” by Friedrich Bonhoffer

VI.          Prayer (Ps. 10:1; 84:2; Isa 58.1; Ezek 18:30; Amos 9:15; John 17)

So now we’ve come full circle to what we started off with. The idea that ok…I can do everything I’m supposed to be doing and yet sometimes I can’t ever seem to “get there”. Like there are times when you’re just sitting there on your bed and it feels like you’re praying to the ceiling. But I need you to get something…I need you to truly understand the weight behind this gospel. Because if this Gospel is really true and Jesus was actually a man that lived and died and we’re caught up in something a lot bigger than us…then all of this should affect the way we do life. And if this is real, then our time here on earth is limited to a few short years and we can no longer just see the world as whatever. Life begins to have a purpose and more importantly your spiritual growth determines your joy. Let me say that again…your spiritual growth is directly related to your joy. Why? Because many of the parables told in the gospels were of those who desperately wanted to find Jesus and they did everything that they could to get more of him. They understood that yes following Jesus was difficult and yes they might not live the “American dream” but they forsook it all to be in the presence of the king. How bad do you want to grow? I mean…do you really care? Or is this just something that you do? You see here’s the difficult part about this…we can do all that we’re supposed to do and plan our guts out as far as programs…but unless God truly moves (Ps. 115:3), then this is all worthless. So friends, we do all that we can to prepare ourselves to get more of God…and in the end, we pray our guts out that God might show up and do great and mighty things with us.

Questions you need to ask:

·         How do you treat your prayer life? Do you even have one?
·         Is praying a chore to you?
·         How often do you pray for your family, friends, neighbors, enemies, church members, pastors, teachers, etc?
·         Do you even know how to pray? Do you need to find someone to teach you?

Resources:

·         “Finally Alive” by John Piper
·         “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan
·         “Christian Theology” by Millard Erickson
·         "Note to Self" by Joe Thorn
Conclusion: Dear friends…all I ask is that you just be honest with yourself. Are you really taking this seriously or are you just trying to get by with a little bit of Jesus attached to you? My worry is that many people have tried religion and very few people have experienced Jesus. And let me tell you after 15 years of this church stuff…it’s not the same. Once you understand this you can’t just sit there…scripture and Jesus won’t allow you to. There’s no indifference to the Gospel. What we went through in these very short pages was what scripture has command you to participate in…and not because it wants to dominate you and add rules to your life…they are there so that when you truly walk in it (and go all out in it) you begin to experience the John 10:10 joy that Jesus was talking about. So that’s it…please take it from someone who has tried it all and has come to this place logically at times but more so because the Holy Spirit testifies that Jesus is who he is and that he is the rightful king…not me. If you ever need to talk or to question stuff…please let me know and I’ll walk through this stuff with you. Until then, I bid you a discontentment that might lead you deeper…