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The Death of Christmas

WHAT? The Death of Christmas? Isn’t the message of Christmas about life and new birth?? Absolutely! I am using a slight play on words here for effect. What I am getting at is death is associated with Christmas. Christ’s death on the cross can never be separated from the message of the Christmas season and can never be separated from our daily lives. We cannot forget that Jesus came to die and to die is what we are called to do. Paul said it well, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20). Jesus came to give his life for us. Jesus now calls us to lose our lives for Him.

Our lives will be no better than our view of death. In Luke 9:23-25 Jesus spoke the following: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” Jesus makes it clear; how we think about life and death will either save our lives or will waste them. We can waste our lives trying to save them, or we can find our lives striving to spend them for Christ.

This Christmas, with all the gifts and food and celebration of the season, remember the purpose of the birth of Christ. He came to die for us. If you have decided to follow Jesus this means you have decided to die as well. You have died to your old self and you are alive in Christ Jesus! What a gift!! New life is found in Him!! This new life was brought about by Christ’s birth, life and death on the cross. Is your life marked by the death of Christmas?

During this Christmas season, take some time to review the items below. These are marks of a saved or gloriously spent life. Read the Scriptures for each and take an honest, personal inventory. Pray that God, through the Holy Spirit, will reveal to you what areas you are marked by and how they can be used for His glory. May you be blessed and encouraged this year by the death of Christmas.

~Pastor Nathan

Do you have a “save my life” mentality or a mentality to spend your life for the Gospel?
3 Marks of a “Save my life” Mentality
•    A lukewarm attitude of complacency (Rev 3:15-17)
•    A paralyzed lifestyle of fear (Matt 25:24-28)
•    A life satisfied by this world and the approval of man (2 Tim 4:10; John 12:42-43)

3 Marks of a Gloriously Spent Life for the Gospel
•    A constant readiness to risk for the Gospel of Jesus (Acts 20:23-24)
•    A relentless passion to be used by Jesus in power and love (2 Tim 1:7)
•    A satisfaction in the service of Christ (Gal 1:10)

We started the first segment of the Gospel Journey series from Dare 2 Share Ministries with the first letter in the acrostic G O S P E L. Here is a quick summary of what we talked about. I would love to hear your comments!! Feel free to post your thoughts, questions, doubts, or other ideas into the comments sections. I would love to have you join us in the Gospel Journey!

G=God created us to be with Him. (Gen 1-2)

Think about that...God, eternally existing, spoke creation into being! Think about the wonders of the universe, the beauty of the sea and the mountains and the animals around us! The theory of evolution says that everything happened randomly over time almost as if by accident. The Bible says that it was intentionally created by a God who is all wise, all powerful and eternally existing. One way to think about it is to look at a watch. There are many tiny parts inside a watch. Let's say I took all the tiny parts to a watch and put them in a paper bag and began shaking the bag. How long do you think I would have to shake until a working watch was "created"? FOREVER wouldn't be long enough!! I could never make a watch that way!! But by looking at a watch I can know that there was a watch maker. By looking at a painter I can know that there is a painter...and by looking at creation I can know that there is a creator!! What do you think? Accident or Intention?

The Bible also says that He created us. Unlike all the rest of creation which he spoke into existence, God, formed us and breathed life into us (Genesis 2:7). God created us in a unique way for a unique purpose...to be with Him. God's plan was not purposeless or accidental. When God saw that Adam was alone He performed the first surgery and took a rib from Adam's side and with it he formed a woman, Eve. God made a companion for a relationship with Adam. He then walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the Garden. He created them and us for an intimate relationship with Him that was perfect. But as we know, soon something came in called sin that wrecked the perfect relationship...we will talk about that next time.

The Gospel means "Good News." The good news is that through Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, we can have that relationship restored and find hope and life when we place trust and life in Jesus as our Lord and Savior...but more on that next time.

Let me know what you think. Is there only one God or many god's or...? Did what we see in the world around us come from an accident or was it intentionally created? How does the idea of being created for a purpose make you feel versus being an accident of random chance? Feel free to post your thoughts or questions and join us on this spiritual journey of exploring the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
~Pastor Nathan

Hello guys,
I woke up this morning praying for you college students and wanted to let you know that God has out you on my heart.

Be looking unto Him this semester. He will never leave you nor forsake you and will, by the power of the Holy Spirit within you, guide you into all truth. (John 16)

~Blessings!
Nathan

School is back and you guys are heading back into the classrooms! Often the classrooms are more than just a place to learn about reading, writing and arithmetic! you often learn about how others view the world around you. Your peers in school have all kinds of different ideas about religion, spirituality and Christianity. Sometimes their opinion of Christianity is based more on bad news and bad experiences than the simple truth of Jesus. Have you ever felt if someone asked you about your faith you would have a hard time clearly explaining the gospel?
Starting September 9th we are going to host a new DVD based series called the Gospel Journey. The gospel journey is about what happens when you bring together seven unlikely strangers, throw them right in the middle of the Rocky Mountains and take them on a journey through the gospel message as it unfolds throughout the story of the Bible. This reality series unleashes seven very different students on one unforgettable quest, to understand the gospel message straight from the pages of Scripture.

Click on this link to see the preview

I am praying this series will accomplish two goals. 1) You will learn in a simple and straight forward way what the gospel is and how to communicate it to your friends. 2) we are hoping you will take the flyers and blitz the town and your schools with invitations to come and be a part of this 8 week series. Even if your friends have been to youth group and thought it was boring and lame…invite them to come back just for the next 8 weeks!!! Even if they think that being a Christian is a joke…invite them to come and interact and share their opinions in the discussion. We will not be cramming a religion down their throat!! But WE WILL BE sharing what the gospel really is in a way that will be fun and interactive with the whole group…LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING YOU JOIN US ON THE GOSPEL JOURNEY!!

Each week I will be posting a short summary of the topic for discussion. I hope that you will join in by posting your comments and giving us some feedback about what you think of and where you are at in the gospel journey...even if you disagree with what is being said I would love to dialog about it here on the blog.

~Pastor Nathan

I have just posted some pictures of the 2008 VBS. Go to www.yefc.org and click on The Rock Student Ministries on the left then click on galleries and select 2008 VBS...or just click on this link
There will be more pictures coming of our trip to Proebstel when they arrive.
~Nathan

It is hard during the school year to be reading anything but textbooks! I can remember carrying the bags of books to WSU and wondering how I will ever have time to read anything else! Well, now summer is here!! The text books are gone!! BUT…don’t let that be an excuse to let your brain get mushy over the summer with endless hours of video games! Libraries and other groups have developed summer reading programs to encourage us to continue learning but too often these books smell of humanistic agendas or just like plain ol’ school. So, I would like to encourage you to do some reading this summer on matters of your faith. Use this time to take advantage of the break from textbooks and get your nose into some books that will build up your faith and encourage you in your daily walk with Christ your Savior. Here is a summer reading list of books that I would recommend you take along on your vacations or leave near the hammock this summer:

Don’t Waste Your Life - John Piper. This little book is a tremendous encouragement to not let your life slip by without a passion for the supremacy of God in all things. This book will help you live out Philippians 1:21 - “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

The Pursuit of Holiness - Jerry Bridges What does holiness look like? Well, it doesn't look anything like perfection! Bridges takes holiness out of the realm of the impossible and brings it into the real world of your daily life and decisions and will challenge you to obey God's command of holiness in your life.

The Practice of Godliness - Jerry Bridges What makes a Christian godly? In this encouraging book, Bridges examines what it means to grow in Christian character and opens our eyes to see how character formation truly affects the way we relate to God, to ourselves, and to others.

The Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan This is the allegorical tale of Christian the pilgrim on his journey to the Celestial City. Along the way, Christian encounters both worthy companions and dreadful adversaries. This stirring spiritual narrative still bears the power to challenge and encourage readers on their own spiritual journeys. A must read for all believers!

This Present Darkness - Frank Peretti This is my fiction recommendation for the summer. Although a fast paced fiction, this books gives a keen insight into spiritual warfare and the necessity of prayer! This book and its companion volume Piercing the Darkness will awaken you to the reality of spiritual warfare and encourage your prayer life! By the way…I don’t recommend the other Peretti books…it seems he moved from the reality of spiritual warfare to “Christian horror” which I don’t appreciate.

The Atonement Child - Francine Rivers This is Jamie’s fiction recommendation for young ladies to read. This novel boldly addresses the issue of abortion and brings to light the significance of God’s sovereignty and grace. It’s a decision that can push faith to its limits and a decision that will change more lives than we could ever imagine!

What do you hope for? Is it a good job, a nice car, some cash, good health, popularity? These are some of the things that people put their hope in but I hate to break it to you…they are all fleeting. In other words, they all will go away. You might have a good job but it will end or you might get laid off. The nice car will begin to rust and break down. The cash never stays long and is all left behind at the gas pump. Good health and long life are not a guarantee. Popularity? Well, someone else who is “cooler” will show up and you will be yesterday’s cool person and today’s “average Joe”.

• Hope in the Bible is a reality not yet realized - The lottery is not a reality for all but a dream for all but one. The promises of the Scriptures are a reality for all who put their trust in Him. “For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.” (2 Corinthians 1:20)  Lotto does not promise you will win (they make very sure you know that in the fine print). The Bible promises all who place their trust in Christ will win “but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57). Our hope is a reality that we just have not yet physically realized. There is nothing in this world you can hope for that can claim that truth!
• Hope is defined by the Scriptures - Our hope is defined by the Scriptures. All of Scriptures were given to us so that we might have hope. We don’t have to guess what to place our hope in. The Bible is there to define our hope. “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4).
• Hope is contained in the Gospel of Jesus Christ - The gospel of Jesus Christ includes and contains our hope. The Gospel is the good news that the life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, is sufficient for our full atonement for our sins and that new life has been given us in Christ Jesus. This gospel contains our hope. This is why we preach the gospel…“because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel” (Colossians 1:5)
  

1. Our Salvation is by God’s grace alone - God lavished (dumped) tons of grace upon us!! Not only did he place our punishment on Jesus Christ but he also welcomes us home to dwell in His presence! “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight” (Ephesians 1:7-8). (also see Eph 2:4-9).
2. Our Power is by God’s grace alone - Our ability, our power to live and share Christ with others comes by God’s grace. “And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Also we see that the apostles were given power to share Christ by the grace of God (see Acts 4:33 and 6:8).
3. Our Sufficiency is by God’s grace alone - The space shuttle has no sufficiency on its own. It can do nothing just because it wants to. It takes the launch pad to hold it and hundreds of technicians and workers to get it ready for launch. It is the same with us. We can do nothing of ourselves. It is only by grace we stand. “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;” (2 Corinthians 9:8). We have all sufficiency, all that we need, to live according to God’s will - by His grace (see also Rom 5:2; 1 Cor 15:10).
4. Our Gifts are by God’s grace alone - Did you know that God has granted each and every true believer gifts? These gifts are to equip and empower us to do God’s will and to serve one another and share the gospel! “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift… “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;” (Ephesians 4:7, 11-12) “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly…" (Romans 12:6)
   

1. Grow in it - “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18). We are to grow in the grace of our Lord. Well how do I do that?
• Be in the Word - Paul said his final goodbyes to the leaders of the church of the Ephesians and he told them to dwell in God’s word. “"And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up…” (Acts 20:32). We are built up, we grow by being in the Word of grace - the Scriptures.
• Abide with Jesus Christ - the word abide means “to remain” It is like if you came over to my house but didn’t leave for another week. You would have been abiding in my house. Jesus said to remain, to abide in Him. It is through Him we receive the grace of God. “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” (John 1:16). So abide in Him, dwell with Him in all your thoughts, actions and goals in life. He will cause you to grow in grace.
2. Be strong in it - Paul tells Timothy, “you therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 2:1). Let grace have a strong part of your life. Let it consume you. Always be thinking about God’s grace. Always be thanking God for His grace. Look at all of life through the eyeglasses of grace. Depend on grace. Pray for and with grace. Sing about God’s grace. Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
   

• You sense God’s power over sin in your life (Rom 6:1-14)
• You have the strength and ability to walk in holiness and righteousness in this world (Titus 2:11-14)
• You share Christ with confidence & boldness (Acts 1:8; 4:31)
• You have the confidence to live life in Christ’s power (2 Cor 12:9)
• You have a hunger for the Word and are growing in it (1 Peter 2:2-3)

1. You may not be saved by grace to begin with - you may have never truly given your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Being saved isn’t just raising your hand or walking forward or saying a sample prayer. Being saved by God’s grace includes surrendering to the will and desire of God, yielding your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and being transformed. This is what it means to be truly born again…it is being changed. “He (God) saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,” (Titus 3:5). Regeneration is the act of taking something that is old and making it new and different. The Bible says that when someone is made new and different the evidences of grace come with that change. So maybe the first thing you need to do is “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
2. You may be proud - pride is the fastest grace killer out there. Pride puts itself above grace. Pride doesn’t need grace because it is self-sufficient. The Bible gives a strong warning against pride. “But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."” (James 4:6). Did you catch that? God is opposed, resists, blocks the proud. But he gives grace to the humble. Perhaps the reason why you are not seeing the evidences of grace in your life is because a root of pride is remaining is your life. Humble yourself before God and ask Him to reveal where you are being prideful and confess the sin and God will give grace.
3. You have not been drawing near to God in confidence - too often we lack confidence and treat God like a lucky charm. Our prayers are feeble, weak and full of doubt. The bible tells us to come to God and “ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:6-8). Again…did you catch that…the one who doubts shouldn’t expect to receive anything from the Lord!! Instead we are to “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16). Do not doubt or be weary when you approach God. Instead, by faith in the sufficient work of Christ, draw near with confidence and find grace to help in time of need.

• “Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,” (Romans 1:1)
• "No one can be a slave of two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be a slave of God and wealth.” (Matthew 6:24)
• “not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, being a slave of the Lord;” (Romans 12:10-11 - continue reading to see what other characteristics we should embrace)
• “With good will be a slave, as to the Lord, and not to men,” (Ephesians 6:7)
• “knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you are a slave.” (Colossians 3:24)
• “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, and being made in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:5-7)
  
  

What is the Gospel?
Let this primer be just the starting point of your growing in the knowledge of the gospel. Also, consider memorizing these Scripture verses and “let the word of Christ richly dwell within you …” (Colossians 3:16).
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Note: much of this content was taken from www.9Marks.org.
1) God is both our sovereign creator and righteous judge. God therefore has the right of ownership over us by virtue of creating us, and he has the right to punish or reward us by virtue of his justice. And because God is both our Creator and Judge, therefore, we are doubly accountable to Him for all our behavior - word, thought, and deed. (Nehemiah 9:6; Ps 98:9).

2) Man was created by God, in God's image, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. But man sinned against God by disobeying His holy law. Man therefore separated himself from God's holy and satisfying presence, and incurred His wrathful displeasure. (Gen 1:27; Rom 1:18, 3:23)

3) Jesus Christ's life and death was the substitute payment for the penalty that we deserved for our sin. His life and death is God's only provision for the forgiveness of man's sin and the appeasement of God's wrath against sin. (Isa 53:6; John 3:36; Acts 4:12)

4) God calls us to Himself enabling us to hear and understand the gospel (2 Thessalonians 2:14; Romans 8:30; 1 Peter 2:9)

5) God graciously grants those who He calls the free gift of repentance and belief (2 Timothy 2:25; Acts 11:18; John 15:16; Acts 16:14)

6) We are called to respond to this good news in repentance and belief - turning away from our sin and self-sufficiency toward God, and trusting in the shed blood of Jesus Christ as the substitute penalty that we deserved for our sin. (Mark 1:15; Luke 24:46-47)

7) A Changed life is the mark of genuine salvation and is evidenced by the regenerating work of God in our lives (Ezekiel 36:26-27; Titus 3:5; 2Cor 5:17; Eph 4:22-24)

• Repentance -  1 John 3:9 (Note: some translations use the word “continue” which is better translated “continues” or “practices” as in repeatedly practicing sinning. This Scripture is not advocating absolute perfection but rather the fact that a genuine believer will not go on trying to sin.)
• Growth - 1 Peter 2:2
• Obedience - 1 John 2:3-6; John 8:31-32
• Fruit - John 15:8, Galatians 5:22-25
• Love - John 13:35