Terms for ALL of us to know...

Hello everyone, I wanted to go over some very important terms with you. I am hoping to start a consistent format to this blog soon. Working full time and having 3 kids I sometime find it hard to even think! Ha-ha…

Gospel - the “Good News”; this is how Paul refers to the message of forgiveness and eternal life.

Faith – “..faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1). The belief or trust in God; faith is the means by which we as sinful people can experience and enjoy the blessings of salvation. (Mark 11:22) Christianity is the only faith-based(not works based)worldview.

Sin - “missing the Mark” or “disobedience to God’s law”. It describes people’s tendency to rebel against God. Basically anything we do or any attitude that opposes the character and will of God. Sin is how we separate ourselves from God. Romans 3:20

Salvation - a gift from God that cannot be earned. It is given freely by God. (1 Thessalonians 1:10, Jonah 2:9).

Grace - Is God's undeserved favor. The New Testament is first and foremost a written testimony of God's grace -- it is by grace we have been saved. (Ephesians 2:8-9, Isaiah 53:3-4) To suggest that God's grace is conditional, or that grace alone is not sufficient, is to insult God.

Justification –Righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:23-24) - Justification is by grace through faith alone. Through Justification we are saved from the penalty of sin.

Sanctification- begins at conversion and continues throughout the earthly life of the believer. It is the process whereby the believer, empowered by the Holy Spirit, becomes increasingly more Christ-like in character. Through Sanctification we are saved from the power of sin. (Romans 5:20-21, 2 Corinthians 3:17-18).

Glorification- Glorification will happen when the sanctification process is fully complete -- our bodies will be changed, the old sin nature will be eliminated, and we will see the risen Christ in all his glory. (1 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Corinthians 15:52-53).

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Remember, works plays absolutely no role in justification. This is one element that distinguishes the Christian faith from all other worldviews. Works are the fruit of Justification not the source of it. Living in Sanctification by definition, we will produce good works by working to live out a Christ-life life.

Thanks for checking in and God Bless.

Alive 2008 Quest Middle School Youth Conference

I just wanted to put a quick post about my trip I took in Late November with my Church's Middle School Youth Ministry Program, TNT (Teens in Transition) to Ocean City, Maryland. For those who live in Virginia, D.C or Maryland, you might be thinking “Fun, the beach in late November?!” Yes, I know, we did have the 30 degree weather and the 20 mile an hour winds so the Board walk was brutal, but the good thing is no one was there to see how insane we were to be there!

We were there to attend the Alive 2008 Quest Middle School Youth Conference Metro Maryland Youth for Christ. The event is very well done. It was well organized, the people were great and there was enough fun to go round for all ages. The band Leedland was phenomenal and they rocked the place all weekend in worship. Some of the speakers and entertainers were One time blind, Joel Sonnenberg, PureNRG, Runks and Leonard Sweet.

My personal favorites were Runks and Joel Sonenberg.

Runks is an insane, funny 6 foot 6 guy who really knows how to connect with everyone in the room. Runks grew up in Midland, Texas and is a graduate of McMurry University in Abilene, Texas. Runks received Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; he then served as a Youth Minister for 7 years and in January of 1998 began traveling the country communicating the gospel to teenagers, college students and adults. He tells stories that make you feel as thought you were right there with him. His presentation and delivery is funny, honest, and inspirational. Did I mention he is insane?

Now Joel Sonnenberg is a guy you would just like to hang out with and bask in the good feeling and passion for life he exudes. When Joel was almost 2 years old, he was involved in a devastating car accident on I95 when a Tractor trailer slammed into his family car at a toll booth that left him with burns over 85% of his body. The only part left unburned on Joel was the area where his wet diaper was. After the accident Joel had a 10% chance of living but, with a lot of faith, love and prayer from many, many people, Joel pulled through.

After a very long road of recovery, Joel has become international speaking minister. Joel’s story is one of heartbreak, love, pain, survival, faith and triumph. I recommend his book “Joel”- pick it up here at Amazon.

The activity section for the kids is packed with tons of things to keep the kids happy all weekend. There were also vendors selling books, T-shirts, music and many other items. They had a huge karaoke set up, Wii, temporary tattoos, hair painting, games and tons of other activities.

I had a great weekend and truly enjoyed ministering to my small group of kids. It was great to take our 55 or so kids and mix them up with 3500 other Christian middle schoolers. I would encourage Churches or anyone, if you have a chance and middle school student to attend this retreat next year. More info here: http://www.mmyfc.org/mmyfc/index.html

Thanks for checking in, God Bless.>>John