This past Saturday Night we invited Junior High and High School students to come join us in a game night at the Junior High Gym. The idea of having this event sparked from church camp as we were challenged to challenge our students in sharing the Gospel with their friends. With basketball, an inflatable joust mat, a Minute To Win It tournament, plenty of food and drinks we were set to go. As students arrived they jumped right into the games and started having a great time. Around the students gathered together in the bleachers to listen to several of their classmates share their testimonies. We had 10 students share how their lives have been changed since they've invited Jesus Christ into their hearts. They shared their past, their struggles, and their hope that they've placed in Christ and the joy that they now have because of their relationship with Him. After the 10 were done several more in the stands stood as I asked who would be willing to share Christ with their friends at school. I pray that these students stand up to the challenge of living for Christ through sharing His Word and what He means to them.
Matthew "Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.
Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
I've had several students want some extra tips on how to write out their testimony, here's a few I found online. Hope this helps. If you want, comment back and tell me yours!
1 - Realize the Power of Your Christian Testimony
Revelation
And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.
2 - Study an Example of a Testimony from the Bible
Read Acts 26 – Paul’s testimony
3 - Spend Time in Thought Preparation
There are a few things to consider before you start writing your testimony. Think about your life before you met the Lord. What was going on in your life leading up to you accepting Christ? What problems or needs were you facing at the time? How did your life change after that?
4 - Start with a Simple 3-Point Outline
The outline focuses on before you trusted Christ, how you surrendered to him, and the difference since you've been walking with him.
Before:
Simply tell what your life was like before you surrendered to Christ. What were you searching for before coming to know Christ? What was the key problem, emotion, situation or attitude you were dealing with? What motivated you? What were your actions? How did you try to satisfy your inner needs? (Examples of inner needs are loneliness, fear of death, insecurity.)
How:
How did you accept Christ? Simply tell the events and circumstances that caused you to consider Christ as the solution to your searching. Take time to identify the steps that brought you to the point of trusting Christ. Where were you? What was happening at the time? What people or problems influenced your decision?
Since:
How has your life in Christ made a difference? How has his forgiveness impacted you? How have your thoughts, attitudes and emotions changed? Share how Christ is meeting your needs and what a relationship with him means to you now.
5 - Important Tips to Remember
•Stick to the point. You meeting Christ and your new life in Christ should be the main points.
•Be specific. Include events, genuine feelings and personal insights that clarify your main point. This makes your testimony tangible - something others can relate to.
•Be current. Tell what is happening in your life with God now, today.
•Be honest. Don't exaggerate or dramatize your life for effect. The simple truth of what God has done in your life is all the Holy Spirit needs to convict others of their sin and convince them of his love and grace.
6 - Things to Avoid
Stay away from "Christianese" phrases. These "foreign" or "churchy" words can alienate listeners and readers and keep them from identifying with your life.
14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
Do you ever question whether you are really a Christian? You accept Christ and everything is going so well, but then you begin to feel like there is always a struggle to do the right thing. What happened? Why are we letting sin into our lives?
The Apostle Paul struggled too. In Romans 7 he shared his personal struggles. He explained they were the struggles of his old nature, before he became a believer, conflicting with his new nature, received through the grace of Jesus Christ.
We will have similar struggles and temptations right up until the day we enter heaven. Paul says you will continue to lose the battle between the two natures if you rely only on your willpower. You can’t just say, “I’m going to stop sinning.” It won’t work. It will only lead to frustration.
Let’s look at some of the things we’ll experience if we continue to try to win this battle on our own.
Battle Signs
You will experience confusion. (Romans 7:15) Notice that Paul said “I”. He didn’t lay the blame on another person or an enemy. He recognized the confusion came from within himself.
You will experience guilt and shame. (Romans 7:16). So if your conscience is bothering you, it means you did something with the full knowledge it was wrong. The outcome of a bothered conscience is guilt and shame. God doesn’t want you to carry that around.
The outcome is compulsions and addictions. If you don’t learn how to fight the battle inside you, it will lead to compulsions and addictions. (Romans 7:17). We have a natural human nature with a built-in resistance to doing the right thing. We want to do what is easy and fun, but we don’t naturally want to do what is right and good. Sin is fun, and it can easily become habitual.
You will experience self-condemnation. Self-condemnation is when you start to feel bad and judge yourself, because you continually give in to your temper or laziness or whatever you struggle with and don’t want to. (Romans 7:18).
You will experience frustration.(Romans 7:18-20). The Bible calls this the law of sin. The law of sin is like the law of gravity – it always pulls you down. And the law of sin will continue no matter how hard you try to break your bad habits simply by willpower.
You will experience discouragement and despair.(Romans 7:23). Paul recognized that every day there was a battle going on inside his mind. Continually losing that battle because you’re fighting it with your own power will eventually lead to discouragement and despair.
(Romans 7:24). “miserable” Are you miserable like Paul was?
Are any of these sounding familiar in your life? Hold on because Jesus brings us hope!
Winning the Battle(Romans -25)
Deepen your understanding of Christ. You’ve accepted Christ; you’re a Christian; Jesus lives in you. But he doesn’t just want to be in you; he wants to be in charge of you.
You can give yourself either to your bad habits or to your Savior.
The battle between your old and new nature is important, and you must learn how to fight if you want to live in freedom. So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. (Galatians 5:1).
A devotion by Rick Warren
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Well school has started and I'm sure parents are excited! As for the students some are excited and some are…well, they're just there. I had the chance to go visit the students and teachers Friday during lunch/recess. A lot of new faces in Jr High and a lot of familiar faces in High School, yet so many I don't know. So as the school year kicks off we'll start kicking off our Youth Nights and Events again. I wanted to post a few things that were coming up in the next month.
Wednesday Night Worship @ 7pm in the Sanctuary Students 6th to 12th grade
Girl Talk at 6:30pm before Wednesday night Worship Girls from 6th grade to 12th grade meet for a devotion and refreshments
The Forge (DNOW) August 19 & 20 - (Sign Up Now!)
Game Night - August 27th - Holden Jr High Gym (...more detail coming soon)
Pvt. Jackson has returned home from Basic Training. We had a little welcome back party for him Saturday. Swimming, food, and hanging out. Even had some youth suck all the helium out of the balloons.
Of course you don't get many sweets at Basic Training so we took him to Menchie's.
