<![CDATA[Forest Grove Reformed Church - Frontline]]>Tue, 29 May 2012 12:44:22 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Thrive!]]>Tue, 25 Jan 2011 11:23:04 -0800http://www.fgrc.info/3/post/2011/01/thrive1.htmlFrontline just returned from their winter retreat at Springhill Camps. The theme for the weekend was Thrive. It was a very challenging but inspiring theme. The weekend was separated into four sessions that surrounded this theme:

Session One: Thrive

 Psalm 1:1-3 “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.

The theme for the weekend was laid out in this session and these verses from Psalm 1 are what directed our conversation throughout the weekend.

Session Two: Community

One of the most important things to teenagers is their friends and community. The speaker challenged us by asking if the people we surround ourselves with are leading us to death? It is important to surround ourselves with people who are speaking truth into our lives. Who care more about their relationship with you than their friendship with you. They know your weaknesses but accept you anyways; and they aren’t afraid to call you out. You need to surround yourself with a community that will help you thrive; otherwise they are leading you to death.

Session Three: Source

This was a challenging session. “What is your source?” was the main question. God is inviting you to let him be your source for life. Here’s the catch, it is dangerous and it is not easy! There are two main reasons why we don’t commit to Christ. The first is fear and the second is control. Our culture tells us that you can be in control of your own life and can call the shots. So this idea of surrendering to God is very counter cultural. Meanwhile we are making empty pursuits to fill the voids in our lives. God can fill all of our deepest needs but we need to stop pursuing our idols and pledge allegiance to Christ. The tough questions we had to ask ourselves were: what are our idols? And when all else is gone will that idol save us? We were invited then to allow God to speak to us and start a little “heart surgery.”

Session Four: Fruit

Coming to the end of the retreat they wanted us to think about what it means to go back home, to our schools, churches, etc and be a person who bears fruit. Once again we were faced with some challenges as part of getting to that point where we bear fruit is dealing with some of the baggage we are carrying. Clint challenged us to look in our bags and deal with what’s in there. Much of what we are carrying is rooted in unforgiveness. He was very blunt and told us that it is critical that we deal with this because if we don’t it will lead us to death. We have a mission; we’ve been chosen to bring the Kingdom of God to this earth, so we need to be rooted and thriving in Him.

Ask the students about the retreat and to share with you what God laid on their hearts. It was a challenging but fruitful weekend and I am excited to see how God will continue to challenge and work in the lives of our Frontline students.  

]]><![CDATA[Outward evidence of an inward belief!]]>Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:45:08 -0800http://www.fgrc.info/3/post/2009/12/outward-evidence-of-an-inward-belief.htmlJames (Jesus' half brother) tells his readers in James 2:17 "...faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."  Prior to this James tells us that it is no good for a person to have faith without any deeds.  What is James trying to get at?  Is he saying that faith is not enough?  Is he saying that as a believer there needs to be action? Isn't it faith that saves a person from eternal punishment because of their sins?  Why do my actions matter if I am a believer and have faith?  Who do I have to prove myself too?  These are all good questions, lets begin:

1.  What is faith?  Webster’s says that faith is a belief and a trust.  Some claim that it is too hard to have faith.  Well we have faith in everyday things.  I don't know how my computer works or let alone this blogging thing, but I have faith that when I turn on my computer that it is going to work and the when I hit the post button that this message will post.  We have faith in the sun rise each day;  when we go to bed at night we believe that the sun will rise the next day.  We know what it is to have faith.  James is talking about faith, but the kind of faith that he is talking about is the belief that Jesus was who He said He was.

Romans 10:9-10 says, That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

As a Christian, our faith is a belief that Jesus is Lord and that He rose from the grave after He was crucified.  Once we believe this to be true and confess this with our mouths we will be saved.  We will enter into a relationship with the Savior of the universe.

2.   And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.  Ephesians 1:13-14

The Holy Spirit is a seal in our lives.  When we die and face judgment, God will know us as His because we have been sealed. 

3.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.  Romans 8:29

God promises us that as His, we will be transformed to the likeness of Jesus.  This means from the time we enter into a relationship with God, that He is going to chip away at our lives the things that are not like Christ.  This just like the seal is a promise.

If God is going to transform us into to Christ-likeness, what will that look like.

4.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

It is the fruit of the Spirit that the Holy Spirit is sowing into believers.   

Where Paul tells us to believe with our hearts is the key.  What we store into our hearts will overflow into our lives.  Head knowledge of Jesus is not enough, in fact James says in 2:19, “You believe that there is one God.  Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.”  We must believe with our hearts, and if we truly believe with our hearts our lives will reflect God in us.

So our actions do matter!  If our actions are not showing God-in-us then that should lead us to question whether we fully believe or if we just believe with our heads.  Faith in Jesus is ENOUGH to save us, but if we truly have faith, our actions are an outward evidence of an inward belief.]]><![CDATA[You mean all I have to do is ask?]]>Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:16:38 -0800http://www.fgrc.info/3/post/2009/10/you-mean-all-i-have-to-do-is-ask.html

In the 7th grade I thought that Amy Woodham was to die for.  The thought occurred in my head that I would like her to be my girlfriend.  I did not have the courage to do the most akward thing in Jr. high possible; go up to a strange girl and say, "Would you go out with me?"  What does that really mean anyways?  We were not going to go anywhere at the point, and I did not have any plans of going anywhere soon with her.  I do not still to this day know why teens ask that question or even how it is universially accepted that everyone knows what is being asked.  I really wanted to know if Amy wanted to be my girlfriend, but why do people not ask, "will you be my girlfriend?"  I don't know.  Anywhooser (yeah that is my word by the way, you put any+who+hoiser together and end up with anywhooser) I avoided the awkardness and had a friend ask her for me.  She of course said yes because I was an absolute stud and we were now boyfriend and girlfriend.
All I had to do was ask, yet I was nervous, scared, and afraid of her saying NO.  James says to us, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."  God wants to grant us wisdom.  He wants us to be able to in tough times make the right choice that honors Him.  His Word says that He will give wisdom.  When you ask God for wisdom and to help you in tough times, you are not going to get a NO.  Give it a try some time.  The next time you are in a situation where you could use some wisdom ask God.

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