This Week # 2- 24

As you know we have been going through a series titled, “Becoming Who You Are.” This week we were going to look into what the world tells us we should be, but I decided to put that off until next week and address the post-camp reality that hits us when we get home. The lesson was titled; “Mountains High Valleys Low” and we looked at what the mountain top experience involves and how we bring that experience home.

Just to give you a little background this past weekend we went to winter camp. On Saturday night the speaker gave a raw description of the sacrifice Jesus made for us and the pouring out of love that he gave us. He walked the students through an experience that lead many to feel the Holy Spirit, recognize God’s love for them and draw closer to God. What I realized after was that both in this circumstance and in many camp experiences that I have had many students feel something, and are drawn to God, which is great, but they don’t really understand what it is they are feeling or why they might be feeling it. I believe that a lot of it has to do with a lack of understanding who the Holy Spirit is. I often talk about God and Jesus, but don’t talk about the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus says is better for us than Him!!! (Jn.16)I think that many students are drawn to decisions, recognition and emotions at camps because it is there that they leave distractions behind and can hear, sense and feel the Holy Spirit’s presence. If the students had a better understanding of the Holy Spirit I think that they would begin to realize that the Holy Spirit is not someone that is only on the mountain, and their feelings of being drawn to God can happen every day.

During the lesson I first review some things that the Holy Spirit is and is not. These include:

Is- God given, Communicator with God, In everyone who believes and has been baptized, Gives us power, Better for us than Jesus (After Jesus’ sacrifice)

Is Not- Someone who forces us to do things, Distant, Only there when we are emotional or feel Him, Only on the mountain.

The second point was that even though I think camps are great and mountain top experiences are wonderful there are some good and some bad to them, including:

Good: We get to feel and experience God in a big way. We can easily focus on His truth. We can use the experience to readjust our walk. We have an easier time hearing God/ the Holy Spirit.

Bad: The high doesn’t last and you wish that you could be at camp all the time. The emotional camp experience becomes our expectation of communication with God. We believe that the Holy Spirit is only there when we are emotional.

In the end the camp experience is great, and the good of them way outweigh the bad. A better understanding of the Holy Spirit, and God’s communication with us will help us take the mountain top experience into the valley. Here are some suggestions for making this happen.

First, we must daily give our lives to God. We often have mountain top experiences where we feel like we need to rededicate our lives to Him. Giving our lives to Christ is a daily activity, more often occurring when we are off the mountain.

Second we need to give ourselves the means to connect with the Holy Spirit. Some ways o doing this are through prayer, observing and appreciating the beauty God created all around us, silence and worship. Spend your day in connect to the Holy Spirit by observing one or more of these principles.

Lastly, when we get away we have an easier time connecting with the Holy Spirit. Just look at Jesus’ life. He got away; he took little time here and there to get away from everything so he could get with God. I challenged the students to do the same. Make a fort in their closet, get under the blankets of your bed, take a walk, climb up a tree, get away to spend time with God.

If we do these things we will have an easier time connecting with the Holy Spirit and realizing that he is there all the time, not just on the mountain.

Parents, encourage your kids to get some time away to hang out with God. (It will give you some piece and quiet to hang out with God as well)

This Week # 2-23

This Week #2-23
Well welcome to 2009! It was good to be back into swing of things and be able to kick off our new series titled “Becoming Who You Are.” This three part series will be looking at what we were created to be, and who we actually are. We started this series by reading Genesis 1: 26-31 to discover what were are meant to be and Genesis 3:1-9 to discover what we are not meant to be.

Genesis 3:1-9 is the story of the fall of man, and within that story we get a good look at some things established by God to direct us to our meaning. As God creates the world he also creates choices and freedom within the ability to choose. In other words we are not meant to be restricted. We are allowed choices, and if we choice right we are given freedom. Within those choices are boundaries. Boundaries that keep us protected. In other words we are not meant to be disobedient and ashamed. So, God gives us choices and tries to protect us with boundaries. If we are obedient to the boundaries established, which leads us to making the correct choices then we are able to be what we are created to be…

Genesis 1:26-31 gives us a better look at what we were meant to be. These verses show that we were meant to be loving and loved. Many of us know that as Christians we are supposed to be loving towards others and God, be we forget that we are supposed to be love, and God needs to be our main source of that love. We also need to be just and justified. God asks us to rule over the earth wisely, and in that we need to allow God to justify us- this becomes even more important as man fell to sin. Lastly, we need to find our identity in God and when we do that we will feel complete. We are image bearers of God and when we are bearing God’s image then we are who we are supposed to be. The world offers many other answers to finding our identity, but none of that will complete us like imitating God. So as we learn and grow in Christ let’s not think about as a task, but as a chance to grow into what we are supposed to be.

Obedience to God is not about following rules that keep you from really living. It is about really living.
Are you an image bearer of God?
Parents, ask yourself this question and ask your children throughout the week what they have done at school to be an image bearer of God.

*There is NO OFF ROAD next week due to winter camp. We will be leaving for winter camp Friday at 1:00 so arrive at the church at 12:30.