Keep Praying for Teen Camp!
Thank you so much for praying. God has been blessing the camp, and Bro. Matt Morales has been preaching God’s Word faithfully. Here’s a quick summary of each of the sermons…
MON. PM
“CONSIDER YOUR WAYS”
God blessed the first night of preaching at this year’s camp. Bro. Matt Morales had the campers’ attention from the first few seconds, showing pictures and sharing stories of his kids, his youth group in Oklahoma, and himself, in a self-deprecating and humorous way.
All of that was for the message—that living for God is the only life worth living. Everything else is a waste of time, like putting money in a bag with holes (see Haggai 1). So… consider your ways! What are you living for?
Please pray with me for our campers. A good message on the Gospel and eternal security coming up in a couple of hours.
TUE. AM
“Unsaved, Unsure, Unsettled”
Three kinds of people needed Tuesday’s message: the unsaved, the unsure, and the unsettled. Even John the Baptist had doubts about Jesus in Matthew 11, but Jesus’ answer to John was 1) look at the Scriptures, and 2) look at my works… they’re the same! For Jesus to fulfill the prophecies about him, it would have been statistically impossible but for God. Similarly, when WE have questions about our own eternal security, the answer is to go back to what the Word says and trust it. For the unsaved, that means placing your faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. For the unsure, it means placing your faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. For the unsettled, it means placing your faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. It’s not “Did I say the right words?” or “what will my friends think?” but, “What does GOD say it means to be saved?” Faith in the Gospel sufficiently settles the believer.
TUE. PM
“Comparisons.”
In Haggai 2, when the older generation saw the new temple shaping up, they were disappointed because their expectations were not met. That kind of comparison breeds discontentment, and it shows up in SO many ways for the Christian. Homeschool kids wish they could experience school life. Public school kids wish they didn’t have to be surrounded by so much junk. Christian school kids wish they had more freedom. Kids with strict parents think everyone else has a better life, and kids with few rules wish for that stereotypical Christian home with both a stable mom and dad. Comparison happens within friend groups—“I want X because she got X”—and among peers—“the ‘cool’ people do this, so I want to too.” It often shows up most viciously at home among siblings. This is unhealthy and foolish. It is better to be secure in knowing that you are obeying God! If God is happy, I am happy. My success does not depend on comparing my circumstances to yours. My success is doing whatever God wants me to do.
WED. AM
The Pharisees were expert excuse makers, but Jesus exposed their loopholes. When a person’s double life is exposed, how they respond shows you where their allegiance really is. When they are fake, their exposure just brings anger and resentment, and they often spiral out of control. However, a true Christian welcomes the exposure and rebuke of sin, repents, and turns back to God in humility. You can be a leader outwardly, but a failures at home. Humble yourself before God has to.
Please pray for hearts to be soft to the Word of God. Our youth staff is doing a great job. Bro. Ariel and Mrs. Nicole spent their anniversary (TODAY!) ministering to these young people, and they give of themselves late into the night and early morning to make sure Bro. Christian can minister as effectively as possible to the whole camp. Bro. Tim and Ms. Jenay jumped right in and are doing terrific. Please keep praying for each of them.
-Pastor Ryan