Tuesday, February 28, 2006

In The Big Inning


Ok, so it's the punch line to a bad Bible joke. Where does the Bible talk about baseball? In the beginning (big inning). I figured that would be our book for next month. Genesis. I know it is daunting, but I think we can do it. We won't be able to go as in depth as we did with 1 Thessalonians, but I think it will be exciting. So tomorrow we start Genesis. Get your last thoughts in on 1 Thessalonians today.

Extra credit if you can give me the name of the team and the stadium in the picture.

Monday, February 27, 2006

Corporate Prayer Revisited


I posted about prayer at the beginning of the month. It seemed to strike a chord with the youth on the retreat. I have continued to think about prayer throughout the month. Do I pray enough, and more importantly, do I pray for the right things. Am I in prayer not just to make requests or praises for answered requests, but am I praising God in my prayers. Do I glorify God in my prayers. Last night at our youth group, we spent the entire time in our small groups sharing prayer requests and praying through scripture.

It was great to hear the way praying scripture changed the youths prayer. It caused their prayer to move beyond the typical prayer request prayer, "Lord, help Bobby's dad to make it home safely." Their prayers for the requests went much deeper, and their prayer for themselves and the youth group were much deeper. I was encouraged and blessed by our time in prayer.

I think my application I plan to take away from 1 Thessalonians is to try and make corporate prayer a higher priority in our youth group and to help the youth improve the quality of their prayers.

Friday, February 24, 2006

1 Thessalonians Update


I know this post looks familiar. Nobody responded to it the last time. I want to know what you have been getting from 1 Thessalonians. I am sure everyone has unique applications you can share with us all. I want to hear what the Lord has been saying to you.

Jamie

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Lovingly


Paul is clear in 1 Thessalonians 3:12, that he hopes the church abounds and increases in love towards one another. Likewise, I hope we abound in love towards each other and towards our youth as we serve together.
I love each of you dearly and consider it a honor and pure joy to serve with each one of you.

McBride’s, I truly appreciate your love for the youth as you lead them and us as youth workers. Your commitment to the Lord is evident in how you minister to this youth group and the church as a whole. I love both of you and your children and appreciate your friendship greatly.

R. Closs, I can’t imagine this ministry without you. Your time and service to the youth group and its needs are tremendous. I love your dedication and faithfulness to the service of the Lord. You are a true servant.

M. Davis, Your heart for the youth and their spiritual growth sets an example for others. You have delicately balanced your family and your service, giving all to both. I love your care for our youth, particularly the junior high. Thank you

Rosner’s, You jumped right in (willing or not) and took on the youth as your own. You are a tremendous asset to this youth group. Even in the midst of preparing for your new child, you take on large responsibilities. Thank you for your service and your friendship. I love both of you and your new addition, Tommy (that’s gonna leave a mark).

L. Mingo, I’ve enjoyed getting to know you and love your willingness to jump in and get involved. Thank you for your service.

A. Cooper, You bring an unparalleled energy to the youth and the council. I love your enthusiasm for service and your commitment to the youth. Thank you!

J. Wohlrab, I love your commitment to ministry and your leadership in the praise band. Thank you!

Starkston’s, I praise God for your leadership and influence on this youth group. Your love of the Lord led this youth group to new places. I appreciate your friendship and compassion.

There are others who help with youth and contribute to the joy of this ministry. You are not omitted intentionally. Thank you for your time and love for these kids. It’s only the Lord Jesus Christ who works in us to love them.

Lastly (but certainly not least) Heather, almost eight years ago, you and I embarked in a partnership not knowing where it would lead. Praise God, it has led us to OBC and to this youth group. I love you. I love you for many reasons, your commitment to the Lord and His teaching, your compassion for others, your love for me, but most of all, your love and support of this ministry. I could not do what I am doing without you. You are my partner in ministry for life. Whether here or where ever the Lord takes us, I can count on your support and assistance as we minister together. I could not ask for a better wife.

Scott

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Danger Danger



I want you to answer two questions.

1. What do you think is the biggest danger to the church? Not necessarily the local church, but Christianity as a whole.

2. What do you think is the biggest danger to the local, and more specifically our youth group?

Before I became the elder over youth, I regularly taught the leadership training class for the church. It was broken up into two modules. One spent 12-14 weeks looking at all the major doctrines. The other module spent 12-14 weeks working through Alexander Strauch's Biblical Eldership. The two questions above are asked in this book. I would teach through book 1-2 times a year. It always helped me stay focused on the responsibilities of an elder. I have not taught through it since I took over the youth. I have been thinking about the lessons from the book lately and how they will apply to the youth.

So what do you think? What are the biggest dangers.
Anybody is welcome to join in this discussion. You don't have to be from OBC.

Jamie

Monday, February 20, 2006

Day Laborers


When I first looked at 1 Thessalonians I was struck with the lessons on team building. In chapter 2 Paul talks about his motivation for ministry not being based on approval from man. Paul also talks about his method. I will probably come back to the method again, but for the past weekend I have been struck by 1 Thessalonians 2:9.

Over the past few weeks I have been able to understand what Paul experienced while he ministered in Thessolonica. Currently, the Lord has placed me in a situation where He supports my ministry financially through work outside the church. These past few weeks, I have literally been working day and night in both "tentmaking" and ministry. It has been tiring, both mentally and physically. There have been a few things that have helped me through that past few weeks.

My motivation. Only by focusing on the Lord am I able to deal with all the demands I face each day. Only my love for the flock and for the Lord keeps me enduring.

The other thing that helps me through is your support and ministry. Like Paul with Silas and Timothy, each one of you that ministers to the youth helps me. I know that I am not alone. Not only do I have God, but I have an entire team that has the same motivations, goals, and desires for the youth at OBC. Like Paul with the Thessalonians, I thank God for each and everyone of you that works alongside of me. I could not do this ministry alone. I am not equipped to do everything. You are my fellow day laborers. You handle any task that comes along. It is amazing to me that over that past few years we have ministered together, you have willingly taken all task without grumbling. Like Paul's team, each of you work day and night to help make this ministry a success.

I encourage all of you to think about those ministering alongside you. Pray for each other and encourage each other.


A special thanks to my wife and children who have had to put up with no husband or father for the past few weeks, love ya.
Jamie

Friday, February 17, 2006

Who Cares?


In the hustle and bustle of our lives, it can be easy to overlook a youth or two. I don’t mean we leave them in another state, but we leave them on their own. In 1 Thessalonians 2:11, Paul reminds us of how we should be looking after and caring for our youth. In verse 10, he says “you (the Thessalonians) witnessed how we behaved ourselves among you who believe”. He goes on to say how they exhorted, comforted, and charged every one of them as a father does his own children. It’s easy to look after our own children, but what about the children we don’t see or talk to everyday?

There are three things youth leaders should be doing for EVERY YOUTH. Notice the emphasis on EVERY YOUTH. EVERY YOUTH is emphasized because it was important enough to be in God’s Word (v.11 – “every one of you”). It is too easy to write off a youth. It could be because they live far away, aren’t that involved, don’t make a strong effort to be in a relationship, or are just plain annoying, but that is not an excuse. Paul sets the example by ministering to everyone.

Are you exhorting our youth? Webster’s defines exhort as give advice, warn, strongly urge or to make urgent appeal. While listening is important, we need to take a more active role in the lives of our youth. We should exhort them as they face trials and difficult situations. It is this type of direction that shows the youth we love them and care about their well-being (spiritually, physically, and emotionally).

We should also comfort our youth. There are two different aspects of comfort. One aspect is that of strengthening and giving hope. We should be walking along side our youth as they face life. Being beside them allows us to push them, put our arms around them, and help them carry on. Also, we need to set the example of hope. We put our hope in Christ and they need to see that so they understand hope is not a Sunday school concept, but a real desire and anticipation. The other aspect of comfort is that of easing grief or trouble. Sometimes, we need to simply be there. Between parental problems, school problems, relationship break-ups and sin issues, we need to be available to console our youth and help them work through those times with a Biblical focus.

Lastly, we should charge our youth. We should be discipling them into new levels of leadership and accountability. This is a long process, often beginning before they reach the youth group. We should push these young men and women to be leaders in their church, youth group, schools, families and friendships. The most difficult part about this is the commitment we must make to the lives of the youth.

Remember, we are doing this with the love of a father and through the love of the Father.

Scott

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Retreat Pics part 2

Praise band lead us in worship before our first lesson.

Scott and Mark open the lessons for the weekend with the first skit.

Jamie motivating the youth during a lesson. (That may be the first time in my life I have ever referred to myself in the third person)

Small group application time.

Scott and Heather's small group.

Gina's small group.

Good use of free time......


... bad use of free time. Some one should tell their parents, who is that up there anyways? Oh wait never mind ... note to self, talk to daughter about climbing on roofs.

The group.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

True Joy

Where do you find your joy? Since returning from the youth retreat, I’ve been challenged by 1 Thessalonians 2:8 to answer that question. If you look around at different youth programs, it is easy to see highly structured ministries offering many opportunities for youth to receive teaching and fellowship and perform service activities. Youth programs need more than those opportunities. They need time and lives. Paul comments in verse 8, that they were delighted to share their lives with the Thessalonians.

Are you delighted to share your life with our youth?

Are you investing your life in a youth?

This, known as discipleship, is essential to have an effective ministry. We must be willing to spend our lives on the lives of our youth. Beyond that, we should be encouraging our youth in leadership to do the same.

So what can we do to share our lives with youth?

Use your comments to give suggestions on how we can invest in our youth.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Retreat pics part 1

This is from Sunday, right before we got in the cars to head home.


Lesson time.

Not Ashamed


I was able to get back into 1 Thessalonians today. Began reading through chapter 2 in detail. 1 Thessalonians 2:1-6 stuck out. Paul said he did not try to please men, did not use flattery, and didn't seek praise from men. Many of today's most famous and successful preachers seem to be doing the exact opposite of Paul's example. They water down the gospel and the message the Bible brings to avoid driving people away.

A few of the youth were echoing the same sentiment as some of today's popular preachers. They said, "I can't tell my friend, who is hurting emotionally, about Christ, because it would drive them off." I spoke to them about the fact that Christ and His message would be offensive to unsaved people. Christ promises as much in Matthew 10. We shouldn't be offensive in our speech or behavior. We should only offend when it comes to the word of God.

I don't think it is a widespread attitude in the youth group, but I know it is very hard for the youth to take the chance of alienating themselves. We will cover this in our Becoming an Eagle study on Tuesdays. I am looking forward to the time we will get to spend building leadership skills with the youth.

Jamie

Monday, February 13, 2006

First thoughts on the retreat



Wow, what an amazing time. I think the retreat is one of my favorite events of the year. I am always amazed at the youths willingness to sit through 2 and 3 hour lessons. I am also continually amazed at what the retreat does to me. I always am emotionally and physically drained after the retreat, but it always charges my desire for full-time ministry. The opportunity the Lord gives us to have an impact on the lives of these youth is invaluable. I think back to the first retreat. The last lesson I taught of that retreat was about passions. What are we passionate about? What ministries excite us and do we yearn to participate in. For me, the retreat reminds me why I love youth ministry. It is not the actual retreat that does this. During the retreat I actually get very focused on the material and try to spend a lot of time in prayer when I am not teaching. It is the 6-8 weeks leading up to the retreat. During that time when I am preparing the material. I spend a lot of time thinking about the youth and how the lesson will apply to each of them individually. It is truly an incredible time.

I was encouraged by the junior highers this week. I think Mark has done a good job with them and that fruit is starting to show. They are willing to jump in and interact with the group, both during free time and during the lessons. I think they will slide right in and fill vacancies left by those graduating. I think the Lord is going to establish some leaders from among them, and I saw some of the foreshadows of that for the first time this weekend.

I enjoyed taking the opportunity to listen in on your small groups. It sounded like you all got good interaction from most of the people in your groups. I look forward to hearing more of your thoughts from that group time.

It seemed like the idea of praying through prayer struck a chord with all the youth. Maybe this is something we should pursue with the leader training on Tuesdays. Speaking of Tuesdays, I plan to start with the group as a whole. I want to see who will be participating, and how they respond to the teaching. After a week or two, I will look at maybe doing some small group time also. I will need to know who from the leadership team will be attending and how much you can be involved.

As soon as I get pictures, I will get them posted here.

Jamie

Return from the retreat


Well, we all made it home safely and without any major mishaps. I am still in recovery mode today. I will post my complete recap later.

What are your initial thoughts?

Jamie

Friday, February 10, 2006

Hard Times


Every morning, the news seems to highlight or introduce some new conflict in the world or nation. For Christians, it becomes increasingly more difficult to watch as the culture finds new ways to capitalize on sinful things. Whether it is an award winning movie about homosexuality, the “right” people claim to abortion, the abolishment of Christmas, the condoning of gay marriage or targeting the freedom we have in Christ as compared to other religions, Christians are being more and more persecuted for taking a stand for Christ. The questions become, “How do I deal with this and what do I do?”

In 1 Thessalonians 2:2, Paul gives encouragement to Christians who experience persecution. In this verse, Paul comments about his (and Silas’) treatment when in Philippi (Acts 16:11-38). After removing a demon from a girl, he and Silas are unjustly thrown into Jail (despite being Roman) and shackled in stocks. Does this weaken their worship? Absolutely not! They sing and praise God and are ultimately released. Even more, their witness leads a Jailer and his family to the Lord.

There are two things to be learned here:

Like Paul, Christians are going to be persecuted by the world because they are not of the world (John 15:19-21). No human knows persecution better than Paul. Likewise, we need to be prepared to be persecuted. Never, does Paul say, “Oops, I didn’t see that one coming”. We too should not be surprised when people speak out against us and our convictions. We should find joy in times of trials and difficulties (James 1:2). This should affect our mind set and attitude towards the issues we face today. Be encouraged, not discouraged when the world comes against you.

What do we do after we are persecuted? Well, you keep on keeping on. Paul said in verse 2, “But even after we had suffered(a) . . . we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict(c).” We should not relinquish from our mission to live out and share the gospel. So, how do we do this?
First, we “root” ourselves in the word. Jesus said in Matthew 13:20-22 that, a person who receives the word with joy, but has no root, quickly falls when persecution arises and becomes unfruitful. If Christians are going to overcome obstacles presented by the culture, they MUST be rooted in the word. This requires daily bible study, meditation on scripture, and application of the Word.

Second, we must be confident in the power we have from the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). The Greek word in Acts for power is Dunamis, which means an inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth. We are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and as new creation we are freed from the bondage of sin and find our power in obedience to Christ.

Lastly, we must continually pray to God that His will be done. Too often we ask God to give us the strength to deal with a situation. The fact is, He already has! We need to ask God to reveal His will to us and use us for His purpose. Comfort in the midst of persecution comes from knowing that God is Sovereign and will overcome the world.

God has given us all we need to remain vigilant in our pursuit of Holiness; His sufficient word, His sufficient Son, His sufficient Spirit, and His sufficient Promise. Glory to God!

Scott

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Gospel to Go


Have you ever experienced the joy of a person coming to a profession of faith in Jesus Christ?

I can say with a celebratory heart that I felt that joy this week. One of my students accepted Christ, becoming a new saint in the brotherhood. However, it is with sadness I tell you I was not a part of the sharing of the Gospel with him. In no way does this diminish my joy for his salvation and the sovereignty of God. To the contrary, I stand more in awe of God and His divine plan than ever before (read Friday’s devo). I realize though, that I don’t talk enough about the Gospel of Christ to those I am in relationship with.

Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 1:8, praised the church at Thessalonica because of the way they were faithful to the sharing of the Gospel. They didn’t just share the gospel locally; they took it on the road, where ever they went. Not only did they share the Gospel, they did it so much that Paul said, “8c so that we have no need to say anything”. Wow, what a heart for evangelism!

As individual Christians, we should be like an infection. Through word and deed we should be communicating the Gospel to all in our lives (Matthew 28:19-20). Would someone say of you, “we have no need to say anything”?

Do you take the Gospel to work?
Do you take the Gospel home?
Do you take the Gospel to Church?
Do you take the Gospel on vacation?

Are we, as youth leaders, teaching our youth to take the Gospel out of the church and into the world of their friends, schoolmates, families and sports teams? In a world of fast times and personal agendas, are we teaching our youth to identify what really matters and what to do about it?

These are the challenges of my heart. I praise God that in my weakness he is made strong.

I praise God that I will be sharing eternity with my student.

Scott

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

9lbs 7oz boy

Congratulations to Tom and Diana.

Forgiveness? Part 2


I have enjoyed the conversations with you on forgiveness. I hope that it is helping you to form a theology of forgiveness.

I want to put forth a few more questions about forgiveness.

Is there ever a reason to hold back forgiveness?
What about these examples.

1. Your heart is not right. Do you need to wait until your heart is right to grant someone forgiveness? Lets say you significant other comes to you and says that they have committed adultery, but they are sorry and want you to forgive them. Do you grant them forgiveness, or do you wait until you get your heart right?

2. If the person seems to be insincere about their request for forgiveness? They keep repeating the same offense over and over, or they don't seem contrite enough.

What do you think?
Remember to support your answer with Bible verses.


Also, list some examples of people exercising forgiveness in the Bible. What model of forgiveness do they follow?

Monday, February 06, 2006

Distressed Joy



Distressed joy seems to be an oxymoron. Distress, anguish, or suffering are not usually associated with joy. Yet in 1 Thessalonians 1:6 that is exactly what Paul does. Here were the Thessalonians, experiencing severe suffering, and they received the message of the gospel with joy. In our lives today, we spend as much time as possible removing any suffering we may get near. The majority of America does not experience severe suffering. I personally have never experienced severe suffering, although I think I came close in boot camp. Despite this lack of suffering, they seems to be a lack of joy also. How can we have so little suffering and so little joy? The Thessalonians were the exact opposite. How were they able to do that?

I think Paul shows two things that allowed them to find joy in spite of their suffering.

They were imitators of Christ. Their purpose in life was not to remove their suffering, nor to find happiness. They were striving to imitate Paul and Christ. When we strive to imitate Christ, it takes our mind off of our temporal circumstances and puts it on a heavenly plane. This is one of the things we will look at this weekend on the retreat. It will be our last lesson Sunday morning. Another thing happens when we strive to imitate Christ, we start to act like Him. Christ's focus here on earth was to fulfill His fathers plan. Is that what we are focusing on? We have been given our marching orders in Matthew 28:16-20. Make disciples.

The second and most important thing for us to recognize, their joy was powered by the Holy Spirit. No matter how hard they tried, the Thessalonians could never have created their own joy. Human manufactured joy is a temporary fleeting thing. It cannot withstand trials and tribulation. Only a supernatural, God powered joy can do that. This is not a giddy worldly joy, but a joy that finds peace in the promises of the Lord.

What a legacy for the Thessalonian church. Not only were they a model to the church in Macedonia and Achaia, but also to Occoquan Bible Church and every other church throughout history. That would be my hope for our youth group and church, that we could be a model worthy of imitation.

Jamie

Friday, February 03, 2006

Lovingly Chosen

I know that after centuries of theological debate, that my blog is not about to change anybodies mind on election. I know that for most of you on the ministry team, this will be "preaching to the choir." Having said that, I couldn't get past 1 Thessalonians 1:4 today without commenting on it.

God has a history of choosing people. Jacob and Esau, the nation of Israel, who could be a priest, who would die, kings, what choices people would make, etc.

He has not gone through history choosing brothers, leaders, and nations to suddenly change His modus operandi and leave it up to us. I know for me personally, it is a good thing He didn't leave the choice with me. If left to my own devices, I would have moved in the exact opposite direction of God. Not only does Romans 3:9-18 tell me as much, I know my fleshly nature all to well. It is enough of a battle with God on my side, it would be hopeless with out Him.

Rather than fear, anger, feelings of injustice, I feel a great degree of joy and peace in knowing that a perfect, all-knowing God, who not only created me but also the entire earth, chose me!

Not only that, but He loved me. Despite me being against Him, He chose to love me and express that love by choosing to make me one of His. I didn't deserve it, I didn't earn it, I didn't figure it out, I was chosen.

So what do we do with this little bit of info? How does it change how you witness?

We need to avoid the danger of slipping into a hyper-Calvinist approach to our lives. We are still called to witness. We don't know who God has chosen, only that He has called us to witness. At the same time, find a peace about your witnessing. No one will go to hell because you couldn't convince them to become a Christian.

I encourage each of you to study more about the doctrine of election. Here are some links to additional resources.

Chosen By God - by Dennis McBride
Chosen By God - R.C. Sproul
Chosen By God Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 - John MacArthur

Jamie

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Corporately Intercessional


Are we being corporately intercessional in our prayer? That's a fancy way of saying, are we, as a team, praying for the rest of the church, for the youth we minister to, and for each other. I think that is what struck me this morning as I read the first few verses of 1 Thesssalonians. Paul speaks about Silas, Timothy and him praying for the Thessalonians.

Two things that caught my eye, how often they prayed and what they prayed for.

Verse 2 says"We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers." Paul says the frequency was "always", that leads me to believe that it was not a monthly event, it seems it was probably not even a weekly event, but even more frequent than that. I can imagine Paul, Silas and Timothy praying for the church at Thessolonica whenever they gathered for ministry. It was something that was a priority in their prayer life.

In verse 3 Paul prays for three things, work, labor, and endurance. I wondered what was the difference between work and labor, so I checked Strong's Lexicon.

Work is defined as "an act, deed, thing done." Paul's prayer would have been for those thing they had done because of their faith in God. A prayer for typical ministry. We should be praying for all those serving in the church and more specifically, for the youth that serve.

Labor is defined as "intense labor united with trouble and toil." Those prayers are for actions that require some sort of sacrifice. These actions Paul says are powered by love. We should be praying for those youth and families that are struggling through tough times.

Endurance is that last thing Paul prays for. We should pray that the youth find hope in Christ Jesus which in turn will give them endurance to make it through the labors they will face.

Jamie

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

1 Thessalonians 1st thoughts


If you are planning to work through the book you should read through it first before reading this.

The past few weeks at OBC have been devoted to looking at and planning for the future of our local church. It started a few weeks ago with our January elders meeting. We were looking at adding to our elder team. We had an elder candidate interview and discussed what the future held for our church. The following Saturday we had our long range planning meeting. We got updates from all the councils about where they had gone during the past year, and where they were headed for the upcoming year. We evaluated our teams and looked at how we could strengthen them. Then this past Saturday, we had the congregational meeting. It was a chance to share with the congregation what out individual ministry teams are doing. The next day, Kyle preached on building teams.

I think the common vein has been "teams". That is what jumped out at me as I read through 1 Thessalonians. It starts out right away in verse 1 with Paul listing the people in his ministry team. It continues through the entire book with Paul saying "we" instead of I. Paul, Silas, and Timothy (now known as PST) formed a ministry team. It was not just Paul running around as the lone ranger.

It is almost as if 1 Thessalonians is a manual for building teams in the church.

Chapter 2 talks about the motivation, method, and effort of the PST team.

Chapter 3 goes into the love that needs to be expressed by teams for other members of the church.

Chapter 4 looks at the idea that how we live and act as individuals impacts our teams.

Chapter 5 addresses how we treat each other on the team. It gives pointed application especially at the end of the chapter.

That is what jumped out at me. I am sure that you will find something different. Let me know what you find.