Who likes to read? What types of books do you like to read?
The books I like to read are those “How to” or biography books. I’ve never been big on fictions or any other kind of book because they offer me nothing - I'd rather watch a movie. “How to” or biography books give me directions on how to do something that I never knew how to do before. Biography books help me see the real person of someone I looked up too or admired. It is the True Hollywood Story of these people.
Today, we are going to hear from Jesus the “how to” of prayer. If I were to ask you to raise your hands if you know “how to” pray, would you raise your hand? You don’t need to, but I’d be curious to see who knows how to pray. Today, you will find out exactly “how to” pray.
Read Matthew 6:5-15
Two keys here:
1. Don’t be showy. Pray for the right reasons, not to put on a show
Why can’t we be showy? Isn’t it good to let others know how good we are at prayer or that we are fasting for a good reason? In v. 6-8, it says to go in a secret place to pray and don’t babble on in your public prayer, or even in your prayer time alone because God already knows what you are going to ask.
Is Jesus saying public prayer is bad? No, public prayer happens all the time. Jesus is criticizing the guy who prays forever about nothing, just to give off the image that he is such a good prayer.
Why should you pray in secret? Although it is great to pray in a public setting, it is also necessary to pray by yourself. It is important that you have that individual time with God in which you can be honest with Him and share your thoughts and concerns. It is also a chance for God to speak to you and reveal things to you then. If you don’t allow God a chance to speak to you, then you are missing out on some pretty important things he could desire to share with you.
Christ tells you how to pray
One thing that I have found out through time is that a lot of people do not know how to pray. Well, ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you this…it is not rocket science. In fact, Christ has given us a diagram on how to pray.
- Give honor and glory to God (v. 9). Why do this? Because he is our creator and he is worthy of honor and glory
- Ask for God’s will to be done, not ours (v. 10). Why do this? We are selfish people aren’t we? I’m not saying this in a bad way, but we really do look out for ourselves in what we do, don’t we? Well, by praying that God’s will, not ours, be done, we are asking for his way, not our way be done. We are admitting that it is really he, not us in control and that we want to be apart of his way.
- Provide for us (v. 11). Why do this? Why not? Why wouldn’t you pray that He helps us and provide for us? He is the God of all and can do all.
- Forgive as God forgave you…if you don’t forgive, you will not be forgiven (v.12)
Once again, Christ is the model here. Christ says to forgive as He has forgiven us.
However, Christ says if you don’t forgive, you will not be forgiven! Imagine that. You will be forgiven as you forgive others. Important step here. How willing are you to forgive others?
- Help us resist temptation (v. 13). Why do this? Hey, believe it or not, there are things in this world that are not good for us, but look awful good by their appearance. Temptations are different for each person, but the results are the same…they often lead to consequences for your actions. Hey, but throwing up because you had too much to drink is fun…having to raise a child at a very young age is easy and what you really wanted when you decided to go for it all…having gained an additional 20 pounds because of your binge eating looks good. Christ is there, in the midst of it all ready to help (Hebrews 2:18)
As I tell you all this about how you should pray, I want you to know that this is not a magic formula, that you have got to pray these things in this order for it to work. However, what I will say is that this is a guide and a help for you in what you should pray for when you pray.
What is missing is that in prayer, there has got to be a time when you listen. A time that all you do is just sit there and give God a chance to talk to you. All prayer is a conversation between you and God. If you do all the talking, there isn’t much conversing going on. You have got to allow God to talk to you. It is only then that he will be able to help you.
Challenge
So, today, whether you are at home hanging out or when you are in bed trying to fall asleep, try praying as Christ modeled. Again, nothing showy, just a little heart to heart with God. He has given you an example, try just praying that for a while. Then, as you feel more comfortable, make it more personal. Why wouldn’t you?
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Living a life without Regret
Have you ever regretted something you said or did?
I’ve regretted a few things that I have said before. For instance, there was this girl in middle school named Donna. I was your typical middle school boy – annoying and stupid – and I thought it would be fun to sing her name in order to make fun of her. It was that song, “Donna” by Richie Valines. It was popular once again back in the late 80s because of a movie. Anyways, I so annoyed her that one day, when I least expected it, she turned around, kicked up her leg and racked me! That’s right, right in the middle of the locker room. I was down for the count and done for many minutes. Do you think I regretted what I said? You bet.
On a more serious note, we are going to focus on Living a life without regrets. We are going to look at living a life without regret and how can you possibly take back something you might have said or done.
So, starting out: How do you live without regret?
1. Be wise in your actions
In order to be wise with the decisions you make, it might be good to know what actions are appropriate or not.
Read Galatians 5:19-21
- Do your actions produce these results? If you are involved with these things or are involved with people that do these things, I think it is safe to say that you are not headed down the right path. I’m not being critical here, but let’s just look at some of these. What could be positive about:
· Sexual immorality or orgies. Sure it seems like fun, but what is fun about getting an STD or pregnant? I know some of you are real daredevils, but do you really want to tempt fate? I know we are living a life to the extreme, but that is a little too extreme, don’t you think?
· Outbursts of anger. Listen, I struggle with my anger, but what is good about getting so mad you punch a hole in the wall or break something?
· Lastly, drunkenness. What good could become of this? Do you think it is fun to get so drunk that you wake up not knowing what just happened the night before? Do you think it is fun to get so drunk that your judgments go out the window and you may have gone too far with a girl/boy you hardly knew? Do you think it is fun to get drunk that you spend half your night throwing up and the next day with a crazy hangover?
I’m not trying to over-spiritualize this talk boys and girls – most of this is just good old common sense. To live without regret, we have to avoid these things. Not because you shouldn’t have fun, but because of the consequences that you are messing with. Believe me, there are other ways we can have fun with far less serious consequences.
2. Be wise in your words
We’ve all heard of the phrase “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but….” (Let students finish). Could that statement be any further from the truth? Words have a tremendous impact on people and us. Well, if we are going to live without regret, we have to choose our words wisely. Let’s see what the Bible has to say about it.
Read Proverbs 12:18 and 15:1, 4
How many people find these sayings to be true? I definitely do – every time I respond to someone in anger and say something harsh, the response I get back is typically harsh. However, when I respond in kindness and love, the conversation usually has a more positive tone.
Look at the consequences of lashing out
· It stirs up anger and crushes the spirit
Look at the benefits of responding in kindness and in love.
· Brings healing, life and health; it turns away wrath
What if you have so much regret now? What can you do?
As much as you may not want to admit it, was have all made mistakes and I’m sure that there is something we all wish we could take back. Whether it is something you said to your friends, your parents or you siblings or whether it is something you did, we all wish we could take it back.
Unfortunately, that is impossible. We can not take back what we said or did. However, we can do 2 things to help give us some peace:
o Go and Ask forgiveness
Whether they forgive you or not, you have asked for it and express your sincere apology. You have done your part and you can move on.
o Begin anew
Read 2 Corinthians 5:17; John 8:1-11
· This girl probably did something she regretted – either she was married and having an affair or she was having an a
· What was Jesus’ response to her? “Go and sin no more.”
Challenge
That is my challenge to you all this week and from here on out – Go and sin no more. Take Christ’s challenge of having life and life to the full in him – live a regret free life by being wise with your actions and your words. You see, when we have a relationship with Christ, we don’t have to care about what others do or say to us – we can respond in love because we know that no matter what Christ loves you and is with you. By having this attitude, you can save yourself and others a lot of restless nights wondering what might have been.
I’ve regretted a few things that I have said before. For instance, there was this girl in middle school named Donna. I was your typical middle school boy – annoying and stupid – and I thought it would be fun to sing her name in order to make fun of her. It was that song, “Donna” by Richie Valines. It was popular once again back in the late 80s because of a movie. Anyways, I so annoyed her that one day, when I least expected it, she turned around, kicked up her leg and racked me! That’s right, right in the middle of the locker room. I was down for the count and done for many minutes. Do you think I regretted what I said? You bet.
On a more serious note, we are going to focus on Living a life without regrets. We are going to look at living a life without regret and how can you possibly take back something you might have said or done.
So, starting out: How do you live without regret?
1. Be wise in your actions
In order to be wise with the decisions you make, it might be good to know what actions are appropriate or not.
Read Galatians 5:19-21
- Do your actions produce these results? If you are involved with these things or are involved with people that do these things, I think it is safe to say that you are not headed down the right path. I’m not being critical here, but let’s just look at some of these. What could be positive about:
· Sexual immorality or orgies. Sure it seems like fun, but what is fun about getting an STD or pregnant? I know some of you are real daredevils, but do you really want to tempt fate? I know we are living a life to the extreme, but that is a little too extreme, don’t you think?
· Outbursts of anger. Listen, I struggle with my anger, but what is good about getting so mad you punch a hole in the wall or break something?
· Lastly, drunkenness. What good could become of this? Do you think it is fun to get so drunk that you wake up not knowing what just happened the night before? Do you think it is fun to get so drunk that your judgments go out the window and you may have gone too far with a girl/boy you hardly knew? Do you think it is fun to get drunk that you spend half your night throwing up and the next day with a crazy hangover?
I’m not trying to over-spiritualize this talk boys and girls – most of this is just good old common sense. To live without regret, we have to avoid these things. Not because you shouldn’t have fun, but because of the consequences that you are messing with. Believe me, there are other ways we can have fun with far less serious consequences.
2. Be wise in your words
We’ve all heard of the phrase “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but….” (Let students finish). Could that statement be any further from the truth? Words have a tremendous impact on people and us. Well, if we are going to live without regret, we have to choose our words wisely. Let’s see what the Bible has to say about it.
Read Proverbs 12:18 and 15:1, 4
How many people find these sayings to be true? I definitely do – every time I respond to someone in anger and say something harsh, the response I get back is typically harsh. However, when I respond in kindness and love, the conversation usually has a more positive tone.
Look at the consequences of lashing out
· It stirs up anger and crushes the spirit
Look at the benefits of responding in kindness and in love.
· Brings healing, life and health; it turns away wrath
What if you have so much regret now? What can you do?
As much as you may not want to admit it, was have all made mistakes and I’m sure that there is something we all wish we could take back. Whether it is something you said to your friends, your parents or you siblings or whether it is something you did, we all wish we could take it back.
Unfortunately, that is impossible. We can not take back what we said or did. However, we can do 2 things to help give us some peace:
o Go and Ask forgiveness
Whether they forgive you or not, you have asked for it and express your sincere apology. You have done your part and you can move on.
o Begin anew
Read 2 Corinthians 5:17; John 8:1-11
· This girl probably did something she regretted – either she was married and having an affair or she was having an a
· What was Jesus’ response to her? “Go and sin no more.”
Challenge
That is my challenge to you all this week and from here on out – Go and sin no more. Take Christ’s challenge of having life and life to the full in him – live a regret free life by being wise with your actions and your words. You see, when we have a relationship with Christ, we don’t have to care about what others do or say to us – we can respond in love because we know that no matter what Christ loves you and is with you. By having this attitude, you can save yourself and others a lot of restless nights wondering what might have been.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Witnessing - is it for you?
When I say witnessing, what do you think of?
When I say testimony, what do you think of?
Do you need a testimony to witness?
So often, we think we need a written testimony in order to properly witness to others. Althought that is very help and I strongly encourage you to write down your own testimony for the proper time, you do not need a written testimony to witness. Our testimony is our life change that God made in us. I believe that it is more of our actions than our words. We can all get up and share what God has done in our lives, but, I believe it is more of a witness/testimony when someone sees the life change in us day in and day out.
Today, we are going to talk about Christ's commandment to witness to others and how you can effectly witness to others without a written testimony - how your life in Christ can be an impact to others.
Read Acts 1:8
If you look at it in a map, Christ said this in or around Jerusalem. So He was telling them to witness to the closest group of people they know (people in Jerusalem). Then he told them to witness to Judea which was the region in which they lived in. Then He told them to witness to all of Samaria which was the outward reaches of the region. So, His model was to witness to those closest to you, those that you are associated with and then those who are out there, further out.
If we were to relate what Christ is telling them to what he could be telling us, I believe that he is telling us to be witnesses in:
Jerusalem: close friends
Judea: your school
All Samaria: the world
Let’s break this down a little bit deeper.
Jerusalem: Close Friends
The single closest mission field we have in front of us (besides our family) are our friends. They are the ones we hang out with the most. However, despite this closeness, our friends are a mission field we rarely tap into. Here are a few questions to think about in rating how you are doing with your non-christian friends:
One last way to minister and witness to the world is by doing service and mission opportunities. How does doing service and mission opportunities allow you to witness to others? Through our deeds. On service projects and mission trips, we have a unique opportunity to go to another place and help people in need. By doing this, we win the right to share with them why us NOVA people would help others. We win the right to share with them the impact that Christ has made in our lives, in hope that they would come to know Him as well.
A bunch of students and leaders at my Church had the opportunity to help a single mom move apartments last spring. It wasn’t the easiest thing to do, as it took most of the day, and many of them sacrificed their “day off” to do this.
Well, because of their sacrifice, this family saw the love of Christ demonstrated. You see, a woman in our Church has been working with this woman and her kids for quite some time and has been telling her about Christ. However, it wasn’t into this past spring in which she actually got to see the love of Christ demonstrated in a great magnitude. In fact, for the past few months, she has been coming to our Church regularly - hearing about Christ.
What an impact you all made on this mother!
Challenge
Even without a written testimony, your life testimony can have a huge impact on others. I have outlined 3 different Groups that we can share Christ. Our friends, our schools and the world.
Christ gives us a plan, a strategy to reach others for Christ. Now, we have to go and do it.
Step out in faith and Christ will bless what you do. Maybe not immediately, but Christ will bless your efforts.
Read Philippians 4:13 - Christ can empower all of us to share our faith with others - with or without a written testimony.
When I say testimony, what do you think of?
Do you need a testimony to witness?
So often, we think we need a written testimony in order to properly witness to others. Althought that is very help and I strongly encourage you to write down your own testimony for the proper time, you do not need a written testimony to witness. Our testimony is our life change that God made in us. I believe that it is more of our actions than our words. We can all get up and share what God has done in our lives, but, I believe it is more of a witness/testimony when someone sees the life change in us day in and day out.
Today, we are going to talk about Christ's commandment to witness to others and how you can effectly witness to others without a written testimony - how your life in Christ can be an impact to others.
Read Acts 1:8
If you look at it in a map, Christ said this in or around Jerusalem. So He was telling them to witness to the closest group of people they know (people in Jerusalem). Then he told them to witness to Judea which was the region in which they lived in. Then He told them to witness to all of Samaria which was the outward reaches of the region. So, His model was to witness to those closest to you, those that you are associated with and then those who are out there, further out.
If we were to relate what Christ is telling them to what he could be telling us, I believe that he is telling us to be witnesses in:
Jerusalem: close friends
Judea: your school
All Samaria: the world
Let’s break this down a little bit deeper.
Jerusalem: Close Friends
The single closest mission field we have in front of us (besides our family) are our friends. They are the ones we hang out with the most. However, despite this closeness, our friends are a mission field we rarely tap into. Here are a few questions to think about in rating how you are doing with your non-christian friends:
1. What do you all talk about?
2. Why not talk about Christ? If they aren't Christians, they might be challenged to look deeper into who Christ is. If your friends are Christians, you might be able to hold each other accountable to living your life for Christ. Either way, it is a win, win.
3. Do your close friends even know that you believe in Christ? Why or why not?
4. What are you afraid of? Rejection? If they are your friends, won't they still be your friend even if you talk about Christ?
If your close friends don’t even know that you believe in Christ, how can you expect to share Christ with complete strangers? We need to put our trust solely on God to ask Him to give us opportunities to share our faith and to give us the words to say when those opportunities present themselves to us. God will not leave you high and dry. (Isaiah 41:10)
Judea: Your School
If I were to see you down the hall at your school…see you live your life, do the things you do at school and with your “school” friends, would I be able to tell there was something different about you?
What I’m asking is, Is Christ revealed in everything you do or are you no different than the average Joe in the halls?
If we are going to make an impact in your school, in your community, you need to be different than the average Joe. Why be like everyone else?
John 13:34-35
It says for us to love one another. By the way we love others (treat them, respond to them, etc), others will know that we are Christ’s disciples.
The way you treat people can make all the difference in the world. Wouldn’t it be great to be remembered in your school as a person who treats people right…never degrading or picking on people. Not because you’re this “Ned Flanders” guy who thinks the world is hunky dory, but because Christ has made a life-changing impact on you. Think of the impact you can have one others through that.
One last way to minister and witness to the world is by doing service and mission opportunities. How does doing service and mission opportunities allow you to witness to others? Through our deeds. On service projects and mission trips, we have a unique opportunity to go to another place and help people in need. By doing this, we win the right to share with them why us NOVA people would help others. We win the right to share with them the impact that Christ has made in our lives, in hope that they would come to know Him as well.
A bunch of students and leaders at my Church had the opportunity to help a single mom move apartments last spring. It wasn’t the easiest thing to do, as it took most of the day, and many of them sacrificed their “day off” to do this.
Well, because of their sacrifice, this family saw the love of Christ demonstrated. You see, a woman in our Church has been working with this woman and her kids for quite some time and has been telling her about Christ. However, it wasn’t into this past spring in which she actually got to see the love of Christ demonstrated in a great magnitude. In fact, for the past few months, she has been coming to our Church regularly - hearing about Christ.
What an impact you all made on this mother!
Challenge
Even without a written testimony, your life testimony can have a huge impact on others. I have outlined 3 different Groups that we can share Christ. Our friends, our schools and the world.
Christ gives us a plan, a strategy to reach others for Christ. Now, we have to go and do it.
Step out in faith and Christ will bless what you do. Maybe not immediately, but Christ will bless your efforts.
Read Philippians 4:13 - Christ can empower all of us to share our faith with others - with or without a written testimony.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Better than the Super Bowl?
With the Super Bowl tonight, it brings to mind many of the great Super Bowls in History.
· Super Bowl 6: Cowboys rushed for 252 yards and held Dolphins to under 200 yards total offense. Cowboys 24, Dolphins 3
· Super Bowl 12: Cowboys 27, Broncos 10
· Super Bowl 27: Who can forget the Cowboys forcing 9 turnovers from the Bills? Aikman had 4 TDs! Cowboys 52, Bills 17
· Super Bowl 28: Emmitt rushing for over 100 yards and 2 TDs as he single handedly beat the Bills. Cowboys 30, Bills 13
· Super Bowl 30: Larry Brown picking off Neil O’Donnell for a TD score! Cowboys 27, Steelers 17
Oh yeah, did I tell you I was a Cowboy's Fan?
Today we are going to talk about another super moment. However, this moment is different from all those other Super Bowl ones. In fact, it is different from any other moment in history. It is the most defying moment in all of history. It has changed history and can personally change your life.
Let me share it w/you.
Read Luke 23:13-46
This, my friends is the greatest single moment in all of history! Forget about all the great sports moments or civil rights moments or even the war moments - don't get me wrong, they are all great and important moments in the history of this world. The only thing that can compare is the Easter Sunday…when Christ rose from the dead.
Why is the death of someone a great moment? Because 1 person saved us from death! He saved us from present and eternal death.
How?
You see, because of this barrier between us and God, we can never have a full and complete life. This barrier arose when we decided that we know how to live our life better than God, the creator of the world and us. When he died, the wall that separated us from a relationship with God is gone! Now, because of Christ we can have life...present and eternal life.
He took the burden of our sin and pain upon him so that we wouldn’t have to experience that pain. He made it possible for us to have life and life to the full.
It’s kind of like a Rocky Movie. It is Christ vs. the Sin Wall the prevents us from having a relationship with God. Christ took the beating for us. Then, after he took the beating, he came back with a fierce assault and destroyed that wall to claim the prize for us…a relationship with Christ.
Bad analogy, but you get the point. This, by far, is the greatest victory ever.
Challenge
So, how does this affect you?
Someone took the punches for you…someone took the pain for you…someone died for you. How do you respond?
The way I see it, you have 3 different ways to respond:
Go on with your life. Think to yourself, that was a good story, but my life doesn’t really need any help right now. I’m fine where you are.
· My question to that is, are you really fine? Are things really going good enough that you don’t need any help? Well, what happens when things don’t go so well? Where are you going to turn then? Know that God/Jesus are there for you. However, it is in your best interest not to wait.
Be changed and begin a relationship with Christ
· As I’ve said earlier, Christ desires to lead you through life so that you can live life to the full. We can have that, but developing a relationship with Christ and have him lead us.
Recommit your life to Christ
· You may have already given your life to Christ, but have fallen away from living the way God intended. Well now is your chance to re-up with Christ. Now you have a chance to start over and begin all over.
Either way you choose to go is fine. Do not feel pressured to do any of the ones I just mentioned. You have to do what you are comfortable with, but I will say that having life and life to the full is God’s desire for you (John 10:10). You can have that with Christ by your side. Will you walk along side of him?
· Super Bowl 6: Cowboys rushed for 252 yards and held Dolphins to under 200 yards total offense. Cowboys 24, Dolphins 3
· Super Bowl 12: Cowboys 27, Broncos 10
· Super Bowl 27: Who can forget the Cowboys forcing 9 turnovers from the Bills? Aikman had 4 TDs! Cowboys 52, Bills 17
· Super Bowl 28: Emmitt rushing for over 100 yards and 2 TDs as he single handedly beat the Bills. Cowboys 30, Bills 13
· Super Bowl 30: Larry Brown picking off Neil O’Donnell for a TD score! Cowboys 27, Steelers 17
Oh yeah, did I tell you I was a Cowboy's Fan?
Today we are going to talk about another super moment. However, this moment is different from all those other Super Bowl ones. In fact, it is different from any other moment in history. It is the most defying moment in all of history. It has changed history and can personally change your life.
Let me share it w/you.
Read Luke 23:13-46
This, my friends is the greatest single moment in all of history! Forget about all the great sports moments or civil rights moments or even the war moments - don't get me wrong, they are all great and important moments in the history of this world. The only thing that can compare is the Easter Sunday…when Christ rose from the dead.
Why is the death of someone a great moment? Because 1 person saved us from death! He saved us from present and eternal death.
How?
You see, because of this barrier between us and God, we can never have a full and complete life. This barrier arose when we decided that we know how to live our life better than God, the creator of the world and us. When he died, the wall that separated us from a relationship with God is gone! Now, because of Christ we can have life...present and eternal life.
He took the burden of our sin and pain upon him so that we wouldn’t have to experience that pain. He made it possible for us to have life and life to the full.
It’s kind of like a Rocky Movie. It is Christ vs. the Sin Wall the prevents us from having a relationship with God. Christ took the beating for us. Then, after he took the beating, he came back with a fierce assault and destroyed that wall to claim the prize for us…a relationship with Christ.
Bad analogy, but you get the point. This, by far, is the greatest victory ever.
Challenge
So, how does this affect you?
Someone took the punches for you…someone took the pain for you…someone died for you. How do you respond?
The way I see it, you have 3 different ways to respond:
Go on with your life. Think to yourself, that was a good story, but my life doesn’t really need any help right now. I’m fine where you are.
· My question to that is, are you really fine? Are things really going good enough that you don’t need any help? Well, what happens when things don’t go so well? Where are you going to turn then? Know that God/Jesus are there for you. However, it is in your best interest not to wait.
Be changed and begin a relationship with Christ
· As I’ve said earlier, Christ desires to lead you through life so that you can live life to the full. We can have that, but developing a relationship with Christ and have him lead us.
Recommit your life to Christ
· You may have already given your life to Christ, but have fallen away from living the way God intended. Well now is your chance to re-up with Christ. Now you have a chance to start over and begin all over.
Either way you choose to go is fine. Do not feel pressured to do any of the ones I just mentioned. You have to do what you are comfortable with, but I will say that having life and life to the full is God’s desire for you (John 10:10). You can have that with Christ by your side. Will you walk along side of him?
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