"Man vs. Wild" Series: Part 3

We finished up our "Man vs. Wild" series last night at FUEL. It was great to walk through the story of Jesus in the wilderness and to see the tempations He faced. The 3rd temptation that we covered was idol worship. Satan tells Jesus He can have all that He sees if He would bow down and worship him. Jesus denies Satan while saying, "Fear the Lord your God, and serve Him only" which comes from Deuteronomy 6:13. We looked at the issues of the idols in our lives; the things we put before our relationship with God. This can include money, power, fame, possessions, etc. I encouraged the (40+) students to spend their time focusing on God rather than on earthly, temporary things. We all want more of the things we do/don't have, but we struggle to want more of God. We fear Satan because of what he can do, but we don't fear God the one who has defeated Satan. Why do we do this? Why do we worry about what people think more than what God thinks? The only thing that matter for eternity is our relationship status with God. The things of this world make no difference in our eternal life. We must seek after the God who loves us and desires for us to be with Him once we depart from this place. "No one can serve 2 masters" (Matthew 6:24) and we must choose between God and the "junk" of this earth. What will you choose?

"Man vs. Wild" Series: Part 2

We addressed the 2 temptation of Matthew 4:1-11 this week in FUEL. This temptation was to make God resuce Him. Jesus was asked to throw Himself off of the pinnacle of the temple and to make God save Him. Satan quoted that God would not allow Him to be harmed by sending His angels to protect Him from harm. Jesus then quotes Deuteronomy 6:16, "you shall not put the Lord your God to the test." This part of the series focused on not testing God but simply relying on Him through our faith to protect us and guide us in all of situations that come in life. We all come from different life circumstances but we all must rely on God because of what He has done for us and what He promises to do through us. He doesn't need us but we definitely need Him. He does want us because we are His children and He desires a deeper relationship with each of us. His sovereignty is what makes it possible for us to follow Him through each adn every situation because we know He is in charge and in control of all things that happen here on earth. He is our God whose authority is unquestionable and unchallengeable beause He is the Creator and Sustainer of the entire world.

Strength To Stand Conference in Pigeon Forge, TN

I am still tired from one of the best weekends yet in the life of our student minstry. We took 38 students, 2 children, and 10 adults to the Strength to Stand Conference in Pigeon Forge, TN on 1/16-1/18 which is organized by the Scott Dawson Evangelistic Association. This was a great weekend filled with great worship led by Rush of Fools and preaching by Jay Strack, Jared Herd, Scott Dawson, and David Nasser. The theme this year was "STIR" based on 2 Timothy 1:6. We are called to stir the gift and stir the world as followers of Christ. The most exciting part of the weekend came when 3 of our students accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. This came on Sunday night when Scott Dawson presented the Gospel to 7200+ students and adults. I had the privilege of leading our students in their decision during this time. There were tears and hugs and smile galore as these students made the greatest life-changing decision ever. We also had several students recommit their lives to Jesus Christ as they had fallen away from His authority in their lives recently. I will be praying for these students and their new-found faith in our Lord!

"Man vs. Wild" Series: Part 1

In FUEL this week, we began our new series called "Man vs. Wild". This is going to be a 3 part series detailing Jesus in the wilderness and will include "survival" games. We played a game of who could eat the raw fish (sushi) faster this week. In part 1, we addressed His forst temptation: Hunger. We looked at how Jesus did not give into Satan's temptation of turing stones into bread so that He would not be hungry anymore. We analyzed how Satan would have ruined God's plan for a sinless Savior and thereby eliminating our ability to gain access to heaven. This is an event where Jesus was able to demonstrate His trust in God's provision and ultimately God purpose for Jesus and all of mankind. Jesus also demonstrated waiting on God's timing for things to happen. We often struggle with this and we want to push the envelope ourselves and make things happen. God has a perfect timing for everything and we have to trust in that because He is God.

Where Do I Find Truth?

We had a great night at FUEL this week. We had 40 students show up for a normal Wednesday night service. The atmosphere was great with some great praise songs led by a student, Kelli Crawford, who did a wonderful job. The feeling in the room was awesome with the students watching and listening with great intent. I shared with the students about "Where Can You Find Absolute Truth?" We looked at several passages of Scripture regarding the Word of God. I used 2 Peter 1:12-15 as the main passage to show how Peter had such a great desire for people to read God's Word even up until his impending death. I shared my personal experiences with the Bible and how it is life-changing, transforming, and encouraging. I explained how the we, as believers, need to get alone and in silence with the Word of God. The Words will come to life and we should tremble at His Words (Isaiah 66:2). I pray that we all learned how we need to be alone with God so that He can transform our lives. I also pray that we have a passion for each other to grow in the Lord. We need to have an accountability to one another for us all to be like Christ.