Archive for April, 2009

During April and May we will focus on gaining a more full understanding of the “whole story” that God has revealed to us through in the Bible.  We will access some gifted local communicators as well as use some materials from noted authors John Eldridge and Kurt Bruner.

“The gospel has been called the old old story. In Epic, John Eldredge has re-cast the ancient truth of the gospel in a new light. He has captured a freshness and vibrancy in his message that resonates with young and old alike. Using imagery from contemporary film and literature, Eldredge distills the essence of the gospel into a six-part message. “

When it comes to life there’s a lot of stuff about life I don’t know the answer to. I don’t understand. But there is one thing about life I do know for sure. One thing I know for sure about life is this: Everybody dies at some point. I know that. I don’t know why things happen at some point but I know this: Life comes to an end for everybody at some point. You live and you die.

So what we’re going to do for the next few weeks is we’re going to do a little series we’re calling “What’s Next? A short look at forever.” We’re going to take a few weeks and we’re going to look at what happens when we die.

According to the Bible - we’re only going to look at what the Bible says. The Bible has a lot to say about what’s next. We’re only going to look at what the Bible says about what happens next. According to the Bible there’s only two options. There’s only two options about what happens after that 100 years. Those two options are this - heaven and hell. Those are the two options. It’s one or the other. Heaven or hell.

The Bible makes it very clear that there is heaven and hell but we are in control of which one is the one for us.

(www.simplyyouthministry.com)

Has “conviction” ever struck you as a strange word? It can mean firmly believing in something. It can also mean being found guilty of a crime! Interesting, isn’t it, that Jesus, who was full of the conviction of His purpose here among us, was convicted of the crime of claiming to be who He really was? Thank God that Jesus was who He said He was (Matthew 3:17). And thank God that Jesus did what He was sent to do, that He stood by us when we needed Him most. In fact, He was the only one who could’ve done what He did for us: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12, NIV). Unlike Jesus, we’ll never be called on to save someone in the way He does. But LIKE Jesus, there will be times we’ll have to stand for what’s right even when others don’t. So, it won’t always be easy. And, frankly, bad things can happen when you stand for what’s right. We need to understand that standing for what’s right doesn’t ensure that things will always turn out the way we want them to. But, we also need to understand that good stuff happens when someone stands for what’s right: when you do, you show others who God is. You can also rest assured that you’re not alone; you can KNOW God is with you. So this month we’re continuing our focus on the events surrounding Easter. Can there be a better “story” to point out the power of standing for what is right?

* Week 1: When you stand for what’s right, you may feel like you’re alone.
(Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion - Luke 22; 23)
* Week 2: We can stand for what is right because Jesus is alive.
(Jesus’ resurrection - Luke 23; John 20)
* Week 3: When you stand for what’s right, you show others who God is.
(Peter and John before the Sanhedrin - Acts 4)
* Week 4: When you stand for what’s right, you can know God is with you.
(Stephen is stoned - Acts 6; 7)

(www.reThinkGroup.org)