Mccordmatt’s Weblog

Well, it’s the start of the last day, and that comes with mixed emotions.  I never want to leave camp because I know that as soon as we get on the bus and arrive at home the real world is there waiting on the students.  But, I also know that we have to come home to follow through with decision and actions we’ve committed to doing.  We also have to come home to spread the gospel to our Judea, Samaria, and all the ends of the world. This week for me as a student minister has been the most influental and impacting. To see many of these students broken before God and wanting to get back to share what they have learned is exciting. 

Last night we heard an awesome message on the difference in a “youth ministry” and a “youth group.” There are 7 key markers of a student ministry:          Ephesians 4:1-3

1. Humility

2. Gentleness

3. Patience

4. Bearing

5. Love

6. Unity — “eager to maintain the unity” (v. 2)

7. Peace

 The main difference is a big enemy and monster that goes by the name “UnforGIVEness.”  This means unforgiveness of those in the student ministry, staff, family, friends, parents etc.  When there is true forgivness a youth group transforms into a student ministry.  We expect people to ask us for forgiveness in every situation, but we forget that the word has the key to true “forGIVEness.”  The greek word for forgivness is Aphesis which means, “release from bondage or imprisonment; Let go as if it never happened.” 

Forgivness was:

1. Created by God — Ps. 103:2-3; 130:3-4; I Jn 1:9

2. Commanded by God — Mt 6:14-15; Lk 17:3-4; Eph 4:32

3. Enabled by God — Col. 3:12-13

After this message many of your students called and asked for forgivness from you as parents.  I saw much brokeness in the students and even in my own life.  And I look forward to see our “youth group” turn fully into a student ministry.

Well, I guess we will see you all tomrrow night, but I will post one more time tonight.

Wow, Wow, Wow,

God is showing up and showing off this week, we have had two that’s made decisions this week so far Emilee Sasser and Chloe Simmons, and we are expecting God to work even more!!!!  Each day the messages in both Bible Study and the main service have been getting better as the week goes on!!!!  And the experiences of being on the mission field has allowed student to realize that their life is not quite as bad off as they thought it was. 

I will say that for me personally I have learned a lot as a student minister.  For now lets just say that your student minister has been broken down spiritually and allowed satan to be at work in my life but I have allowed God to restore as well.  I sould say that at no point at time does being upset make a point that, other than the fact that you have to learn and practice humility and forgivness. 

Please keep us in prayer because we are all tired and warn out!! And also please Keep the Kilcrease family in your prayers, Mrs. Sara Kilcrease was put back into the hospital and not doing great.  Holli Kilcrease is with us (Sara’s granddaughter) and for the first time while I have been off I had to pass the news to a student, so please keep her and the rest of us in your prayers.

Day two has finished and closed with a bang, that bang a nice thunderstorm.  So this is why this blog is coming this morning.  Sorry no students wanted to get up early enough to fill you all in on their day so maybe tonight I will grab some students and they will won’t to say hi to all of y’all.  I heard nothing but positive things from the students on their first day on site.  Many of our students were talking about working with children and were surprised how fun it is to work with them. 

I don’t won’t to bust anyone’s bubble but we did have one student last night accept Christ!!!!!!!! That is very exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I will let the student tell you all later on.  Please be in prayer because God is working on students in an aggressive way.  The main theme for last night was when we except Christ we are changed from the inside out.  Christ does not care about the outside in until the inside is taking care of.  The Pharisees only looked at the outside and what they can do to follow the “laws” which many of those laws they made up or exaggerated.   How many times do we do that as a church?

Well, day 2 has started and Lord willing it will be as good or better than yesterday!!

Well we made the trip over with no problems at all, well unless you count the slight problem of motion sickness (no worries, we had plenty of moms on the bus to take care of the problem).    The first night is coming to an end as I sit on the porch of the coffee shop.  I will say this has been a very good first night.  Yes, we are all very tired and ready for bed because it has been a long day but ready for God to work.  Not that anything special happened but just the fact that the door is open for God to work.  I layed out my hope and prayer for the week, that God will show up and show off in their lives.  Not only in experiences, even though experiences are very important to a growing process but not all to our Christian growth.  I am looking forward to all that God is going to do this week in not only the student lives but my relationship with Christ and as a student minister. 

Just to keep you up to date on what is being taught in the main service I am trying to take the best notes I can and then pass them on to you.  Please be in prayer this week! 

June 23, 2008

Matthew 13:11

4 keys for the week:

1.  Know Jesus more deeply

2.  Follow Jesus more closely

3.  Worship Jesus more honestly

4. Share Jesus more clearly

Fuge is all about JESUS!

“If we don’t get Him (Jesus) we missed IT (Him)!!!!

Now What??

Matthew 7:7-8

Highlight these words in these verses:

1.  ASk

2. Seek

3. Knock

4. Receive

5. Find

6. Opened

What about this week do we need to do to connect and hear from the Holy Spirit??

Ask that He show’s up and show’s off, seek that He is showing, knock to find that answer, receive the answer He brings, find ways to apply it to our lives, and be open to what He is going to do.

I will talk with you all tomorrow night and maybe I will have a student or two come and join me.

Be in prayer and be in expectation!!!!

CAMP IS FINALLY HERE!!!

Hopefully all of you have been in prayer for camp and all that God has instore for you (the student) and you (the parent), if not this is a great time to start! God can change live at anytime but I will say that God uses camps and retreats to help that process along in students so many times.  Yo can ask many pators, missionaries, and even great Christian, “when did you get serious about your relationship with God?”, and many of them answer in the same way, “camp.”  As I’ve told you all and the church that in a week of camp you can be influnced and impacted by the Bible and the Holy Spirit working through the week more than I can in an entire year.  Camp is one of those experinces that either kick starts a relationship with Christ, kicks the heat up in the relationship with Christ, or makes you just sit back and experince something fresh and anew. 

I am enclosing the camp emergencey number which is only to be used in extreme emergencies and only if you can not get hold of myself first or another adult.  When we leave on Monday I am going to have a print out of all the phone numbers for the week, also Kate will have all the numbers here at the church office as well incase you misplace your copy.

CAMP: (615) 429-2153

MY CELL PHONE: (334) 504-1849

like I said earlier I will have all the phone numbers on Monday.

Prayer Request as we leave:

1.  Students growth in Christ.

2. Adults growth in Christ.

3. Saftey for all of us (travel and while we are there).

4. Students attitudes toward authority (camp staff, adult leaders, etc.).

5. Adults attitude toward students, that it will be in love and anticipation for God to work.

6. Homesickness — students and adults

Finally, I want all of you to know how excited I am about camp and the time I have with each student, please continue to be in prayer for all of us this week.

In Christ,

Bro. Matt

You know, so many times I have people come up to me and say something like this, “you know those children you teach need to __________”.  They still see the students in the student ministry as children and I guess technically they are correct in saying that because you all are not 18 yet.  But I also ask my self this question, “If students set an example of how to act as Christians and showed the adults how they should act what would they say then?”  In case you did not know that there is a verse in the Bible that talks about this very subject, there is and it is found in I Timothy 4:12.  And it reads like this, “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.”  If you as students lived this example what do you think the adults would say about you then?  I think they would look at you as an example or even look up to you as a spiritual leader and just maybe they would become the spiritual leaders you need in your life.  Now I’m not saying put all your video games away, quite playing sports, or anything like that, but what I am saying is be the example, raise the bar in your house, show your parents that hey it’s ok to be Christian and to stand out of the crowd. 

Can the students in Ino Student Ministry be the “trend” setters in our church and in our community or will we just follow along and never step up to the plate and be that example Paul is telling Timothy to be?  My prayer is that people see Ino Student Ministry and say “wow, these students are not like most, they care about their relationship with Christ and are leaders.” 

Let’s step up and raise the bar at Ino Baptist Church and be the Christian leaders!!

Mrs. Robin and I love you all and can’t be more excited about being here and being your student minister.

I haven’t made the time in quite a while to write what’s been going on.  But in this blog I want to share with you something God has been showing me and helping me get a better understanding.  So many times as pastors we think we are doing the right thing by sharing the gospel and then leading someone through a prayer, but are we really doing anything?  I guess the reason this has been working on my heart for so long now is because of watching new converts, they feel like all there is to “Christianity” is a prayer then they are free to do whatever they either were doing or whatever they decide they can do in the future.  Well, as God has been working through scripture to help me come to this conviction and new thought he has also taken me to “the wood shed” on other issues as well. 

We can go back and look throughout scripture and see that Christ never once told his disciples to pray a prayer.  For instance, Matthew 4:18 – 22 Jesus is calling His first disciples to follow Him.  Matthew says, “Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who as called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.  Going on from there He saw two other brothers James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.”  This is the case with all of His disciples, they dropped everything and followed Christ where ever He took the. 

Now, before everyone starts to label me a heretic or something along those lines I do believe there is a time for a prayer because Paul said in Romans 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”  Yes, we have to confess with our mouths at some point in time but, is that all there is to salvation?  We see throughout Paul’s writing that there should be evidence’s of salvation in people’s lives. How will we know someone is genuinely saved? By the way they “walk.”  Nothing better says who a person says they are by watching the way they walk their everyday life.  What is in someones heart at some point in time will come out of their mouth, according to Matthew 15:18, ”But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.” Not to mention Jesus says in John 13:35, “by this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”  And in Matthew 7:16 Jesus says, “You will know them by their fruits. . .”

 The more I study this and look at scripture the more I see that the prayer is only the start of the Christian walk.  The walk down the isle is only the first step of letting people know what has happened in your life.  The baptism is the first act of obedience to the Lord because He himself has set the standard for us to follow.  Baptism is also picture to those in the church and the others around of what has happened on the inside, but after telling the church body about the decision you have made and then following the Lord in immersion baptism then the battle of showing and “working out your salvation” starts. Our walk with Christ is not about us it is about “And He was saying to them all, “if anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” Luke 9:23

A quote I have come up with that I use in the Student Ministry all the time and I believe it sums up salvation.

“ It’s not about me, it’s about the God who created me.”  Can you say this on a daily basis about your salvation?

Sex, Love, and Lasting Relationships: The way God wants sex to be

God desires us to enjoy sex, like I said last week for 3 reasons: a. Children, b. our enjoyment, c. for His Glory. God created sex to be great, awesome, wonderful, fulfilling, etc.  But He created it for one setting and one setting only, One man, one woman, one marriage for life.

Two words that describe how God wants your sex life to be: (I thess. 4:4)

1.  Sanctified — Process of becoming more like Christ.  How can sex be becoming more like Christ, well enjoying His creation in the manner and only in the manner in which He created it, one man, one woman in marriage for life.

2.  Honorable — God wants to see us enjoy sex the way He created it, but He also wants our sex life to honor Him.

How does the Bible describe an ungodly sex life? ( I Thess. 4:5)

“Like the heathen, who do not know God”

6 forms of sexual immorality according to Leviticus 20; keeping in mind this is the Old Testament, does this chapter remind you of any generation today?

1. Fornication — Sex outside of Marriage

2. Adulturey – Sex with a married person

3. Incest — Sex with a family member

4. Homosexuality — Sex with someone of the same sex

5. Bestiality — Sex with animals

6. Pedophilia — Sex or sex act with children

How is it possible to avoid sexual immorality/sin? (I Cor. 6:18)

Flee, run, sprint, get away fast etc.

Bad reasons for romantic relationships:

1. It makes me Feel Good about myself.

2. It makes me Look Good to other people.

3. It helps me to satisfy the desires of my flesh.

4. Defrauding — Stirring up desires in others that they cannot righteously satisfy.

How do we defraud:

1. Inappropriate Dress (Immodesty)

2. Inappropriate Flirting

3. Inappropriate words (“I Love You”)

4. Inappropriate touch

The goal of our deepest and most intimate relationships should be to bring the other person closer to Christ.  Not to Christ (Missionary dating) I Cor. 6:14-15

Sex, Love, and Lasting Relationships: Difference Between Boys and Girls

So what are some of the big difference between Guys and Girls?

Well lets see:

Guys are:                                         Girls are:

Visual                                                 Emotional

Pushy                                                 Guarded

Constant                                             Moody

What is the goal for Romance: To have Intimacy in Marriage.

If we want intimacy in marriage then lets start with what intimacy is: Intimacy is No Fear of Rejection (Gen. 2:25)

Keys:

1.  Sex is important to you, and to God.  ( I Cor. 7:1-8)

God created sex for three main reasons, a. children, b. our enjoyment, c. His Glory.  But God created sex, sex is not a bad thing it is a wonderful, awesome thing when used in its right place and manner, after marriage. We can not truly enjoy the gift of sex in any way outside of the boundaries of marriage.

2.  You are responsible for YOUR OWN sexual behavior (I Thess. 4:1-4) What type of situations do we put ourselves in?  Many times we put ourselves in places where we have very little chance not to fail.  Dating for instances, we should not date alone,  go in groups so there is not temptation to mess up and fall into sin.

3.  You are Partially responsible for the behavior of other Christians. (I Thess. 4:5-6).  How can I be responsible for someone else, well when you read these verses it will help you understand that if you are defrauding someone you are causing them to sin. Defrauding is causing desires to stir up in others that they can not righteously satisfy.  Girls you wear something cut way low, or very tight you are defrauding the guys, how you ask, go back to the top and re-read what guys are. . . . . we are visual.  Guys, telling your girlfriend you “love them” is defrauding them why you ask, go back to the list. . . . . girls are emotional, when you connect with them by throwing out those words you can cause them to stumble and defraud them. 

4.  Your deepest, most intimate relationship must be based on Common Values (II Cor. 6:14-15).  These verses are the verse that say “do not be unequally yoked with someone who is not a believer.”  well it is because you have nothing in common that matters.  You might like the same ice cream or the same color but the one thing that matters the most is not there, your relationship with Christ.

Remember Sex is not bad, it is very good when practiced in the manner God created it to be, within the marriage of one man to one woman for life.

How as Christian’s can we raise the bar in our relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ?  We have began a new study on Raising the Bar(Title Borrowed from Highview Baptist Church, Louisville, Ky) in our spiritual lives. 

There are four ways we are looking at raising the bar; Worship, Reading Scripture, Praying, and giving.  Each week we are going to be looking at how we can raise the bar in each of the area’s

The first being raising the bar in worship, first lets define worship; worship is raising something or someone higher than yourself.  This could be any different things, cars, money, jobs, sports, etc.  But for this blog and these messages we are saying worship is a lifestyle,  a lifestyle of living what you say you are in the walls of the church and taking that outside to where you live, work, and play.   We have to realize that in our worship of God, It’s not about me it’s about the God who created me. 

Hebrews 10:19-25

We find that we can raise the bar by having the confidence to go into the Holy of Hollies (V. 19).  What is the Holy of Hollies?  It is the most Holy place in the temple.  The dwelling place of God’s spirit.  The high priest could only go into the Holy of Hollies once a year and only after he made sure he was right with God first, because if he went into that Holiest place being unclean God would kill him on the spot. 

Vs. 20-21 tells us that we know longer have to go to the Holy of Hollies because in Matthew 27:50-51 “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up His spirit.  At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.”  When Jesus took the sin of the world on Himself we no longer had to go the temple but as Christian we are always in the temple.  We have a direct communication to God at all times.  We no longer need someone else to come and be the only contact to God for us, We can approach the Throne Room of God.

 I believe verse 22 gives us one of the best definitions of worship or what worship is.  It does so by making two phrases that gives me that idea.  First, is the phrase”sincere heart,”  when we come to God with a sincere heart wanting Him to work in our lives and forgive us of our sins His is faithful to do so.  But, if we come with a heart of motive, a heart that is looking for something in return then that would not be worship, that would be selfish and prideful.  Secondly, is “cleanse us from a guilty conscience.”  This is worship because to be able to have true worship we need to have a clean conscience.  Without trouble on our heart and mind.  It goes back to the statement you will hear me say a lot, “It’s not about us, it’s about the God who created us.”

 Verses 23-24, worship is “unswervingly to the hope we profess” we stay true to God we are not going off target or to the left or right we are staying focused on Him.  Worship in these verse is also the opportunity “to spur one another on.”  We need each other to fall on as we struggle and fall.  We need people to be there to kick us in the back side and tell us that we are falling away and need to refocus and not swerve away from what God is calling us to do. 

Now, how are we suppose to be spurred on if we are coming and being with His body?

Verse 25 covers that, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the day approaching.” Or as T. W. Hunts puts it in From Heavens Veiw, as we see that Graduation day approaching. 

 We worship an awesome God, the one and only God!  I encourage anyone who has the chance to read this to raise the bar in worship, reading God’s Word, praying, and giving to His church for His purpose.

John 4:23 says, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.