Crosseyed classnotes from Sunday

Yesterday was our Sunday brunch. We enjoyed having lots of food and a few new people! Here are some quick notes from yesterdays lesson.

Cross-eyed Basics

March 30, 2008


If you were to design your own boarding pass, where would you want to go?

Ask: How is possession of a boarding pass evidence of faith?

Holding a boarding pass evidences your faith that you will be on a plane.

Faith is the reality of what is hoped for.

Hebrews 11:1-2 says "1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. "

Think about what a passenger might hope for as he holds his boarding pass. (good seat, etc.)

How is faith the foundation of hope?

What does a boarding pass prove? How does faith prove what is not seen?

How is faith different from the feeling that what is wanted will happen?

How has faith been demonstrated throughout generations in your family?

Faith is like a boarding pass to expectant travel with God.

Faith is God's gift placed into our hands, but also requires obedient response. Ask: Who is usually waiting at the end of a long journey? What emotions are experienced?

Hebrews 12:1-2.

1 Therefore since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and run with endurance the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.

There are two ideas being contrasted here- being weighed down on the race or being able to run with no extra weights adding time.
List the things that can weight us down or make us stumble in our walk with Christ.
List the daily habits that strengthen your faith.

Jesus was placed on a cross so we could live lives of faith and be united with God.
We don't need a boarding pass to experience a life of faith and adventure. Our faith pass was paid with Jesus' death and resurrection. All we have to do is to accept Him as the Lord and Savior of our lives. We need to be born again.

"Now there's a phrase with some baggage. It's been used to describe movements, political leanings, and life philosophies- not always with the best results. But the very first time it was used, it came in a different context. Jesus used the phrase in talking to a man named Nicodemus who was too afraid to approach Him in broad daylight because of the social repercussions. His topic of discussion for Jesus was not unique- He wanted to understand the fullness of who this Teacher, this Rabbi, really was. That's when Jesus threw out the bomshell: 'I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God' (John 3:3).
The fact is, we need to be changed. It's not enough for us to believe there is a God or just be a spiritual person. That doesn't take care of what our real issue is- sin- not just the little white lies we tell, but the fact that our nature, our very identity is corrupted with rebellion against God. That's why we need a complete change. That's why we must be born again.
According to Jesus, there's something that must happen inside us if we are to fully embrace who He is. That 'something' is so drastic, so life-changing that the only way to describe it is through the process of 'new birth', and that's exactly what Jesus offers. According to the Bible, this sin problem is universal in scope, and the just punishment is separation from God for all time (Romans 3:23). In His death, Jesus took that punishment on our behalf and now He offers us a chance to receive His righteous nature, to be born again (2 Corinthians 5:21).
This does not happen by our good works. It can't be manufactured, earned, or bought. This new birth comes through faith, for as Jesus told Nicodemus, 'everyone who believes in Him (the Son of God) will not perish but have eternal life' (John 3:16). Jesus is the only one who can give us new life (John 14:6).
Ready to be something different than you are? How about a child of God? The offer is there. Acts 2:21 says 'And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' Why don't you take the chance today and send us a comment if you want to find out more about being born again?"*

Or send us a comment answering any of the questions in this post. Here is one final question to think about or comment on.

Name one way you will get rid of the baggage that keeps you from living a life of faithfulness.

*This information was copied from the book "Bible studies for Life- Life Matters- published by Lifeway".

Ryan's Testimony

I can’t really tell you when I first stepped foot into a church building. As far as I know, I have been in one not long since I was born. I was raised in a small Independent Christian church called Fairview Christian Church. My dad served as an elder, fill-in preacher, taught Sunday School, song leader, and whatever else needed to be done. My mom played the piano, directed the church “choir” (if a choir could consist of an average of 6 people), and headed up Vacation Bible School. So, I was exposed to the church at a very early age. I was blessed not only by having Christian parents, but also having a Christian extended family. There were not many kids my age at church, so I talked mostly to the adults and my parents' friends. Our church was often a spring board if you will for young preachers. Many of them had just graduated from Bible College. One such preacher named Dallas Bear started at our church in 1985. Because there were not a lot of kids at my church, I did not go to a lot of kid’s activities. While my wife talks fondly of girl's week at Bates Creek Camp, I did not attend church camp – that is until Dallas went with me. I do not consider myself to be a very outgoing person. Often, I don’t talk to people until I am spoken to first. So the idea of a shy eight-year old kid going two hours away from home to a church camp with kids I did not know was scary for me. But going with Dallas calmed my apprehension. He told me that camp was a blast. Dallas and I went to High Hill Christian Service Camp in the Summer of 1985. The whole experience was different than anything I typically experienced. That week of camp helped me to realize that I needed Jesus Christ as my personal savior. I accepted Christ later that summer at the age of 8. I was privileged to be baptized by my Dad.

I often think how my Christian walk has developed over the last 23 years. I would like to tell you that it has been one solid line of growth; however, at times it looks like the stock market. There are times of growth and times of recession. I am so grateful to have Jesus Christ as my savior. Sometimes, I mistakingly take my Christianity for granted, because for 75% of my life I have known Jesus. Perhaps becoming a Christian at such a young age has made me somewhat stagnant in my spiritual walk. When I think about my testimony, I often think that there is nothing special or remarkable to tell. I am a person who has been in church since I was a kid. Then, I realize that my testimony is this: My relationship with Jesus has saved me from having to experience addiction, divorce, and many other hardships that people face before they realize their need for something more in life that they are missing. I have been blessed with a wonderful wife of almost ten years now, who encourages me, challenges me, and prays for me to grow stronger in my faith. Her guidance and partnership means more to me than most anything other that my relationship with Christ.

I consider myself a person that likes to know what to expect. I like to have my “ducks in a row”, so to speak. I thought that I had life all figured out. When I got married, we would live in this great house, have 2.25 children spaced 14 months apart, and we would have nothing but fun. As you all know, marriage is a lot harder than it seems when you are engaged. Once I took off the rose-colored glasses, I realized that it is my God-given duty to be the spiritual leader of my home. Often times, Julie would say, “why don’t you read your bible.” Early in our marriage, I failed as a spiritual leader. Years of infertility strengthened my reliance on the sovereignty of God. Many nights I would lay awake and wonder why God was interfering with the plans for my life. Everything I thought would happen and when didn’t. That was the problem. I was relying on my plans instead of what God had planned for me. Over these years, I have started to submit more to God’s plan and his timing. That is really hard for a guy who likes his ducks in a row.

God has blessed me more than I could ever imagine. In addition to Julie, my son Nicholas is the greatest joy that any father could ever dream about. Little did I know that eight years to wait for a child would be so gratifying. My church, friends, and family are also an integral part of my spiritual growth. God has allowed me to serve Him through teaching a Sunday School class and singing in the church choir. In the years that I have been teaching Sunday School, I feel that God has matured me into a stronger Christian. Any lesson that I lead will not be presented unless I am changed by its material. I am grateful that Christ saved me at eight years old, but I feel like I am reaping the benefits more and more every day. So to those of you "church kids" that feel that your testimony is not worth telling: Fall to your knees and thank God for all that you have been blessed with. Your story is one that needs to be told. So what's your story about His glory?

Becky's Testimony

Most of my youth I lived a very sinful life. I went to church most Sunday’s and even tithed, but I didn’t live like a Christian. I did what I wanted to do and didn’t allow Jesus to have control of my life. I smoked cigarettes, drank and even smoked marijuana for a period in my life. I had pre-marital sex and cussed. Even while doing all these things I was still miserable.
In February of 2000, me and Mark went on our first date. We had been working together for awhile, but I had a boyfriend. We got together shortly after I broke up with him. By the time I met Mark I was no longer smoking marijuana, but I still smoked cigarettes and drank. We went to parties with people we worked with as well as other friends. We also had sex. Mark wasn’t a Christian and I still wasn’t acting like one. About a year and a half into our relationship my brother confronted me about the fact that me and Mark were having sex. It was really hard to hear the truth even though I knew he was right. God used him to convict me and God continued to convict me as well. During all this I was taking Experiencing God and I was becoming closer to God. I finally decided that this time I was going to choose God no matter what the outcome was. I knew that there was a good chance that me and Mark would break up and I was pretty sure he was the man I wanted to marry. When the day came to tell Mark that I could no longer have sex with him because of my relationship with God I had knots in my stomach. That was one of the worst, but also one of the best days of our lives. Mark thought I was doing this so he would break up with me, but I was finally able to convince him that it was truly because I wanted to obey my Father. It was still hard not to have sex after that and we did stumble a few times, but after this change many other changes followed. Mark started going to church with me at Life Christian. It started getting really weird there so we started looking for a different church. We worked with Eric Goodwin and he invited us to come to Faith Baptist Church. So we came around Christmastime in 2002 and we’ve been here ever since. I’m not sure when I was saved. I grew up believing in God and the bible, but I don’t know if I was saved when I was little and then just backslidden all those years, or if I got saved later in life. The good news is that I am saved and God has changed my life for the better. He didn’t leave me or forsake me when I was rebelling against Him. He was patient with me and didn’t give me what I deserved and for that I will be eternally grateful to Him.

Mark's Testimony

Let me start out by saying this; Jesus is who He claimed to be, the very Son of God. We know this because of the historical evidence we have that shows He actually died, was burried and rose again on the third day. Christianity is not a leap of blind faith. It is a leap of faith based on historical evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So, what has Jesus done for me? I am glad you asked.....

I always believed there was a God growing up in a Catholic home, but I never read Gods Word for myself. I just depended on the church to tell me I was going to heaven. I figured I was a good person, no need to worry about hell.

I started working at an ISP in Saint Louis where I met this girl. She was very pretty, dare I say hot, and I wanted to get to know her. I asked her to lunch one day and she accepted. A few minutes in she smacks me in the face with a "boyfriend" comment. I was like, "Check Please."

I had been smoking pot for years and a borderline alcoholic, awwww, who am I kidding, I am an alcoholic. I loved my pot and beer, thought I would smoke for the rest of my life. After a while that girl I went to lunch with started talking to me again. Turns out she dumped that loser and we set a date. I took her to TGI Fridays and we saw "What Women Want." This my friends, was the begining of the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. A relationship with a woman that would have such an impact on me later that I would give up my life to follow Jesus Chirst.

So, we dated for a while. I continued to get high, she would just drink. She used to smoke pot with her ex-boyfriend and she just wasnt hip to it anymore. We were having sex and just flat out fullfilling the pleasure of our flesh with no regard. Well, I had no regard but PRAISE GOD she was having second thoughts. She was getting up on Sunday mornings, leaving my room, and going to church with her Mom and brother. Her brother confronted her with Gods Word telling her that having sex was wrong. She came under conviction of Gods Holy Spirit, and decided to follow Jesus at all costs.

I didnt realize how much she cared for me at the time, it turns out she thought I could be the "one". She told me that she wouldnt be having sex with me anymore, that it wasnt right in Gods eyes. I was devasted. I thought this was a ploy to break up with me. Turns out, the thought of not having her around made me feel something I had never felt before: gut renching pain and heartache. I decided to do whatever it took to keep her. I decided to start going to church with her. To be honest, I thought I could just play up the church thing for a while and eventually everything would go back to normal. Plus, I didnt have to have sex with her because I had hard drives full of porn I downloaded to keep me going. Hmmmmm. Little did I know the power of Gods word and plan for my life were much bigger than the weed, beer, and porn.

I went to church, heard the Word. I even got a Bible, and started reading it. Here is the meat and potatoes dear friends. I was in the basement of my mothers house. I was playing video games and getting high, just like every night. I had a banner on the wall by the TV I could see between my two computer monitors. It was a banner for the death metal band Slayer. My favorite band. I looked up at the banner and I heard a still small voice say, "Why is that there?" Was it me? Was it the countless bong hits I took that night? No. I believe it was the Lord Jesus Christ because it really effected me. I had never experience this kind of thing before. Conviction, and remorse. I got up, walked over to the banner and tore it down. I proceeded to throw away all my Slayer cd's. I havent listeded to them to this day.

Wrapping this up......There was a TON of sin in my life. God weeded them out one-by-one. (pun intended) I never thought I could give up pot, but sure enough the power of God to transform us is bigger than addiction. He gave me such a heart to share Gods word that it made me realize I cant continue to get high and proceed to tell people about Jesus. Sure I still sin, but Jesus Christ has touched my heart in a way that I am willing to lay it all down for Him and His message of hope, forgiveness, love, patience, kindness etc.

O, and that girl I was dating that introduced me to Jesus Chirst, she is now my beautiful wife. We stopped having sex over a year before we married. What a blessing it is knowing that sex didn't play a role in our deciding to spend the rest of our lives together. We get along so well it is scary. We have been blessed with a great son, Jacob and a child on the way due in November 2008.

Becky witnessed to me with her actions that Jesus was Lord of her life. Her mom and brother witnessed to me as well, and prayed for me. Gods will for my life and His plan was in full effect when I met these people. I will never be the same.

All glory and honor are yours Father. May You be glorified through Your Son, Christ Jesus.

Amen!

Upcoming Activites in April

Heidi's shower is April 6th at the church. She is registered at BabysRus and Target. She is having a girl. Please include a gift receipt for Target as they are super picky about returns. The shower starts at 2 and will be in the cafe. Girls, you can stay after church to help set up.

April 12- There is a Kutless Concert at Meramec Caverns. I think Elizabeth has already bought tickets for this, but check with Julie if you still want to go.

April 19- BBQ at Adam and Elizabeth's house. We'll give directions and details in class. It is a little over an hours drive- but worth it! I think Elizabeth sent out an e-mail with details. Let Julie know if you didn't get it. There is a concert that evening at Meramec Caverns also. It is Building 429. Once again, I think Elizabeth has already bought tickets, but you could still buy tickets on your own. You just won't be guaranteed to sit with us.

Ladies' Night Out at the church cafe. Bring a snack to share if you want to snack and maybe a drink or we'll bring down the coffee maker and the hotpot and drink tea. We'll hang out without kids or husbands and talk. Tentative time and date- Thursday, April 17 at 7 p.m.

Julie's testimony of salvation in Christ

It has been great to have a different member of our class share their testimony of how he or she came to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Here is the testimony Julie shared a few weeks ago.

"A lot of people of guides tell you to start a testimony by telling how your life was before you met Christ. Well, it's a little hard for me to remember because I was so young. But even though I was only eight years old, I do remember being convinced and overwhelmed with the fact that I had sinned or I guess did sin on a regular basis and was in need of a Saviour. I think my parents helped me to be aware of my weakness by showing me their weakness and dependance on Christ. I don't remember them telling me how they had tried to life a good life and be the best parents they could be. I remember them showing me and telling me about their relationship with Jesus Christ. They got up every morning to pray and read the Bible. We read the Bible together every night and prayed as a family. We ministered together as a family. I saw joy, peace, and hope in their relationship with God. So why wouldn't I want that?
I have a terrible memory. But I remember very clearly the weeks leading up to my salvation experience. I would think at every church service- should I go forward during the invitation? And when we were driving in the car, I would say "Dad?" When he said "Yes, Julie?" I would chicken out and say "Never mind". Finally, one night after my Dad read the Bible story, I said it. "Dad, I want to ask Jesus into my heart." He talked me through it and then he let me pray out loud. I prayed "Dear Jesus, please forgive me of my sins and come into my heart" That was it. My mom says I stayed up in my room singing that night- making up songs about how Jesus had saved me. I don't remember that but I do remember the joy and happiness I felt and the tears I cried. And I've learned since then (I was eight- almost 9) that I am weak and in need of God's mercy and grace. I've learned that faith is a gift of God and the reason I've been able to stand firm and say praise theh Lord even through the difficult times is because God gave me the gift of faith. At eight years old, I also knew what I wanted to be when I grew up- a mommy. Going through eight years of infertility has been the hardest thing for me personally. But through it, I was able to say "Only you, Jesus, that is all I need."
This year I'll turn 32 on my birthday, but a week before that on my spiritual birthday, I will turn 24. For 24 years, I have gotten to experience life with the creator of the universe residing in my heart and being to me my best friend, faithful Father, helper, comforter, healer of a broken heart and truly my joy, hope, and peace through all of my life."

Easter Sunday

First of all, if you haven't watched the movie "Narnia", go rent it or borrow it and watch it! Our lesson Sunday began and ended with a reference to Narnia, and I'm going to give you the notes here for those of you who missed or are interested in checking out our class.
Towards the end of the book "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe", the white witch appears victorious as she kills the great Lion, Aslan. All hope for good was lost, and evil reigned victorious. That is how the Easter story starts out. Jesus is crucified, the people that wanted Him dead got their wish. The middle of the day became pitch black. The people that followed Jesus saw him lifeless on a cross of torture and despair. His own mother saw a broken, bloody, corpse of a man who was promised to be the Messiah What was going through their heads at this time? Did what they were seeing replace the promise of the words that Christ shared with them over the last three years? What if that was it for us? This life is it. God created us to become subject to the forces of evil. Who or what would we turn to for hope? What would be the implications if Jesus did not rise from the dead? (The answers Sunday included- he would have been considered a liar and a lunatic.)
Most adults want to improve their lives. They turn to plastic surgery, self-help books, and seminars hoping to find power for living fully, when God offers the awesome power that raised Jesus from the dead to all who believe in Him. The evidence for the resurrection of Christ is compelling. The power God has made available through Jesus is immeasurable. That is our focus today. We are going to see perhaps from a fresh perspective the power He has made available to us through the risen Christ.
Ephesians 1:18-21 says "the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come."
Value is an interesting thing. Something might be valuable right now that at one time was commanplace, even a piece of refuse. I remember gas was 75 cents a gallon ten years ago, but now it's approaching $4.00 in some areas. One thing that adds value is age. The Mona Lisa is considered priceless, but some of put a $500 million value on it. Mostly because it is unique. It's uniquieness is what gives it vaue. The resurrection of Christ is the mark of uniqueness that separates Christ from the founders of every other religion. They are dead. Mohammed is dead. Joseph Smith is dead. Buddha is dead (trust me- we have a nice Buddha statue in our basement and he's just that- a statue. If your wondering why and don't know us well, our son is adopted from China and the Buddha is a gift from his orphanage.)
Jesus left an empty tomb in His wake. It is vital that we not only believe this to be true, but tap into what is behind the truth- the all-surpassing power of God. The resurrection is the authenticating mark of that power.
Think about these questions:
What is the significance of our lives because of the resurrection?
Why is it important that God's power was demonstrated in this way?
Why do you think it is vital to realize the power inside of the resurrection?
What difference can that power make in your life?
How can the resurrection change the way you approach life?
Considered how much of our energy, time, and resources are spent trying to evade death. Some people go to great means, like freezing themselves in time or having increasingly complex cosmetic surgergy to avoid getting older and ultimately death. And somehow, we got a little side-tracked with dental health this week and learned that allegedly flossing daily adds seven years to your life. But back to the lesson:
How can the resurrection change the way your approach death?
It should give us hope. The burial of Jesus' body, the empty tomb, the angelic declaration, and Jesus' bodily appearances all point us to the victory of the power of God. That power gives us hope!
Ephesians 2:4-9 says "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."
Answer these questions:
How did Paul describe people who are resistant to the gospel?
Why do you think his language is signifigant?
Do you think that the lost (unbelievers) know they're lost?
What in your life makes you forget your need for God?
How have you seen the grace of God at work in your own life?

The greatest evidence of grace in our lives is salvation. Becky shared her testimony on Sunday and with her permission we will post it in a separate blog entry.

Ephesians 3:16-21 says "that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

The ocean comprises about 71 percent of the world, an area of about 139, 400,000 sq. mi, an average depth of about 12,230 ft, and so on and so forth- those are just facts- figures on a page. But if you were floating in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight- you would be overcome by the sheer volume and intensity of what you were bobbing up and down inside of. Maybe we can have a similiar feeling about the love of God. For most people who have followed Christ, the love of God is something that we tend to move past because we consider it elementary. We learn about it as children and simply take the love of God as a given. Why waste time talking about God's love when we can talk about predestination, the purpose of Israel, and the last days prophecies?
Answer these questions:
How is that attitude (above) different than the attitude of Paul in this passage? What did he pray for the Ephesians in terms of God's love?
It is the love of God that roots and establishes the followers of Christ and enables us to grow in our understanding of Him. How does this happen?
Why do you think it's so important to have a growing sense of God's love?
What kind of affect does God's love have on our lives?
How does that love give us spiritual power?
Because of this love, believers can be confident that God continues to work in and through them in ways they can't imagine.
Have you ever seen this at work in your life?
How have you seen God work in or through you in a way you could not understand?

If you think back now to the movie or book we referenced at the beginning, the white witch says right before killing Aslan- "so much for love". We studied Sunday that is all about love- God's love- that allows us to live with eternal hope. Watch the movie or read the book and find out what happens to Aslan.

Jesus is alive! Here are a few more questions to reflect on as you continue to celebrate Easter and the resurrection of Christ.

Are you doing anything that might hold back the power of God in your life?
Is God's power evident in your life?
Does having the power that raised Jesus available to you make sense?
Does it have any impact on how you live?
What are some things you can do in your life to make sure your experience with the Lord is growing?