Apostasy

Possibility of Apostasy or falling from Grace.

1. Its Cause. The marriage of the sons of God and the daughters of Men (Genesis 6:1,2).
2. Its Effect on the Human Race. Men forgot God and became giants In wickedness (Genesis 6:3,4).
3. Its Effect on the Creator. "And the LORD repented that he had Made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart" (Genesis 6:6). The word "repent" always describes a change in something. There is a sense In which God cannot change (Matthew 3:9; James 1:17). He is always God, omnipotent and eternal. There is a sense in which He changes His Purposes toward us, otherwise forgiveness would be impossible (Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 8:12). God has declared that the soul that sins shall die (Ezekiel 18:4), but the sinner who turns from his sins and obeys the Lord, has the promise of salvation (2 Peter 3:9). God therefore changes His purposes toward men, but He is always God!
4. A child of God can "Die"—Romans 8:12-13, Revelation 3:1-5.
5. A child of God can be "Disinherited" Numbers 14:11-12. 
6. See also James 5:19-20, 1 Timothy 4:1-3, Galatians 5:4, 1 Corinthians 10:12 & 9:27, 2 Timothy 2:17-18, Hebrews 3:12, 1 John 1:7-10, 2 Peter 3:17, Revelation 2:4-5, 2 Peter 2:20-21, Hebrews 10:26-30, Matthew 13:40-42, Galatians 6:7-8, Ezekiel 18:24, 
7. Eternal life already given like, Joshua 6:1-2.

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Youth Minister

Good ministry sites for youth ministries.
http://gospelglow.com/

Ministry

Ministry Ideas:

Every minister needs a
M.A.P. = Ministry Action Plan

Who Am I?

I Quit

 I Quit!

What to do when life is too big for you!

 You are a gifted and special person. You are not designed to do everything. God never meant for you to be super human. He wants to help you become the person He created you to be.

Recently I came across a little piece called "I Resign!" It probably describes the feelings of many of your friends.

I Resign!

I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult. I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of an 8 year-old again.

I want to go to McDonald's and think that it's a four star restaurant. I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make a sidewalk with rocks. I want to think M&Ms are better than money because you can eat them. I want to lie under a big oak tree and run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summer's day.

I want to return to a time when life was simple.  When all you knew were colors, multiplication tables, and nursery rhymes, but that didn't bother you, because you didn't know what you didn't know and you didn't care.

All you knew was to be happy because you were blissfully unaware of all the things that should make you worried or upset. I want to think the world is fair. That everyone is honest and good. I want to believe that anything is possible. I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again.

I want to live simple again. I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness, and loss of loved ones.

I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, mankind, and making angels in the snow.

I am officially resigning from adulthood.

Ever feel that way?  You know the feeling.

I suggest that instead of giving into the defeat, that you connect to the power of God to make a difference in your life. There are four areas you can choose to make your life worth more. I want to help you restart the life you were meant to live.

I Quit Making Excuses

What do you hope to be different about your life? The first thing you can do is quit making excuses. Not that it is easy, but not too many people are looking out for you, so take responsibility for your life.

Now, we can "talk" about many good things, but getting them done is a different story, mainly because the evil one is out to destroy us. As soon as you decide to be different, Satan gives you excuses to stay the same. My prayer is that you will see it in your own life like we see it in others.

Jesus tells us a simple story in the Bible. In Luke 14:16-18 it says, "Jesus said to him, "A man gave a big banquet and invited many people.  When it was time to eat, the man sent his servant to tell the guests, 'Come. Everything is ready.' "But all the guests made excuses. The first one said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go look at it. Please excuse me.'

Here is the reality; most people don't do what they can do. Take for instance, resolutions. Every year many people make them. By the end of January, 40% of people give up. By February 15, 75% of people quit. That is not many days where people go back to living the average life. There is so much greater life to enjoy if we don't give up.

I believe in people. I believe in you. Great people with good intentions. That is just it.  The real problem is "We have good intentions, rather than God intentions." If what we want to do is not in line with what our Creator wants, what we really do will be a failure over time. Good intentions are “Me Centered.” God intentions are centered on God.

Here are some questions to ask:

What Does God Want To Be Different About Your Life? Think about it, pray about it and write it down. Maybe write it in the margin right here. This may be a difficult question if you are new to the study of God.

Then ask, Why Does God Want This Part of  Your Life to be Different? When you connect the “Why” with the “What” there is significant spiritual motivation. It is the key to understand what God wants and why.

The problem is we all make excuses when God wants something for us and our will doesn't match His. Take Moses for example. When God called him, Moses says in Exodus 4:10-12 "But Moses said to the Lord, "Please, Lord, I have never been a skilled speaker. Even now, after talking to you, I cannot speak well. I speak slowly and can't find the best words." Then the Lord said to him, "Who made a person's mouth? And who makes someone deaf or not able to speak? Or who gives a person sight or blindness? It is I, the Lord. Now go! I will help you speak, and I will teach you what to say."

This is the man God chose to work through and give us the Ten Commandments. Read that again and see how small Moses thought of himself and the God who made him. The lessons we must learn in life and living for God are twofold.  First, do what you can do. Then, trust God to do what you cannot do. God is not unrealistic and usually we cop out on making the excuse that it is too difficult.

Resolve to quit making excuses.

I Quit Complaining

What are you tempted to complain about? Here is a common list of things I hear real people complain about each day.

1. The job you have or not having one.

2. Too much to do verses being bored.

3. Some parents complain about their children, while others are not able to have children.

4. Some wives complain about their husbands while others are single.

5. Then during times of travel, they will complain about the traffic, bad drivers, and pot holes.

6. Maybe the most universal complaint is about money, time, things. We live in a time of making more money, tools to help us save time, and the abundance of material things our parents did not have. Maybe it is time to see the possibility of the problem being our attitudes.

Here are a few Bible complainers to consider: 1) Eve complained about Adam in the beginning. 2) Job complained. Job 10:1-2 says "I hate my life, so I will complain without holding back; I will speak because I am so unhappy.  I will say to God: Do not hold me guilty,  but tell me what you have against me." 3) The Israelites in the wilderness. Exodus 16:2-4 says, "Then the whole Israelite community grumbled to Moses and Aaron in the desert. They said to them, "It would have been better if the Lord had killed us in the land of Egypt. There we had meat to eat and all the food we wanted. But you have brought us into this desert to starve us to death." Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will cause food to fall like rain from the sky for all of you. Every day the people must go out and gather what they need for that day. I want to see if the people will do what I teach them."

This is why complaining is dangerous:

First, complaining offends the heart of God. Numbers 11:1-2 tells us, "Now the people complained to the Lord about their troubles, and when He heard them, He became angry. Then fire from the Lord burned among the people at the edge of the camp. The people cried out to Moses, and when he prayed to the Lord, the fire stopped burning."

Second, complaining carries significant consequences. Numbers 14:26-30 says, "The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "How long will these evil people complain about me? I have heard the grumbling and complaining of these Israelites. So tell them, 'This is what the Lord says. I heard what you said, and as surely as I live, I will do those very things to you:  You will die in this desert. Every one of you who is twenty years old or older and who was counted with the people-all of you who complained against me-will die. Not one of you will enter the land where I promised you would live; only Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun will go in."

Therefore, let me encourage you to start restraining our complaining.

What? Do Not Complain. Yes! Philippians 2:14 says, Do everything without complaining or arguing. Ephesians 4:29 says, "When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need-words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will do good to those who listen to you."

So, you ask why not complain? The spiritual counsel is "so you can become more like Christ." Philippians 2:15 says, "Then you will be innocent and without any wrong.  You will be God's children without fault. But you are living with crooked and mean people all around you, among whom you shine like stars in the dark world." Luke 6:45 advises and instructs us that, "Good people bring good things out of the good they stored in their hearts. But evil people bring evil things out of the evil they stored in their hearts. People speak the things that are in their hearts."

You want to know how? Choose to rejoice no matter what. Philippians 2:17-18 tells us, "But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

With God's help you can stop complaining.

I Quit Living in Fear

God wants you to live by faith but the evil one wants us to live just the opposite.

As babies we have two natural fears; falling and loud noises. As we grow we develop new fears.

New fears we develop are things like darkness, spiders, storms, snakes, etc. Four of life’s most common fears:

1. Fear of Loss = financial, control, and important things.

2. Fear of failure = job, sports, etc.

3. Fear of rejection = peers, family, and clothes.

4. Fear of the unknown = health, job, and relationships.

Well, God didn't create us that way. 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us, "God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control."

Fear is faith in the wrong things. We have stronger feelings of fear than faith usually. Fear is placing faith in the "What if's?"

A good example again is Moses. In Exodus 4:1 we learn, "Then Moses answered, "What if the people of Israel do not believe me or listen to me? What if they say, 'The Lord did not appear to you'?"

You ask, Why Do Your "What if's" Matter? They matter because: 1) What you fear reveals what you value the most. 2) What you fear reveals where you trust God the least.

Ask yourself what you are not trusting God with right now.

Then you ask, How Do We Face the "What if's" of Fear:

First, acknowledge Your Fear and Choose To Trust God.

 Psalm 56:2-4 reads, "My enemies have chased me all day; there are many proud people fighting me. When I am afraid, I will trust you. I praise God for His word. I trust God, so I am not afraid. What can human beings do to me?"

Second, seek God until He takes away your fears.

Psalm 34:4 reads, "I asked the Lord for help, and He answered me. He saved me from all that I feared.

I Quit Comparing

We love to compare in America. In fact, it just seems like the right thing to do. What we compare:

1.  Possessions: Things like our house and car.

2. Appearances: Girls compare hair, men compare their bodies.

3. Performance: Like jobs or our child’s success.

4. Circumstances: Situations like your career or spouse.

So you say, what is the big deal, everybody does it. What does God care? Why Does God Hate it When We Compare?

First, comparison is the death of contentment! 2 Corinthians 10:12 says, "We do not dare to compare ourselves with those who think they are very important. They use themselves to measure themselves, and they judge themselves by what they themselves are. This shows that they know nothing." In modern day terms, "Success is about being what God wants you to be and not who you wish you were."

Second, comparison makes us prideful. Luke 18:11-12 says, "The Pharisee stood alone and prayed, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people who steal, cheat, or take part in adultery, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week, and I give one-tenth of everything I get!'"

Third, comparison makes us resentful. 1 Samuel 18:6-9 says, "After David had killed the Philistine, he and the men returned home. Women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul. They sang songs of joy, danced, and played tambourines and stringed instruments. As they played, they sang, "Saul has killed thousands of his enemies, but David has killed tens of thousands." The women's song upset Saul, and he became very angry. He thought, "The women say David has killed tens of thousands, but they say I have killed only thousands. The only thing left for him to have is the kingdom!" So Saul watched David closely from then on, because he was jealous." You see, "we resent God's goodness in other people's lives and ignore God's blessings in our own life!"

So you might ask, "How Do We Overcome Comparisons?" Help me be bigger than I am today.

First, know what you have. Count your many blessings. Stop taking for granted what you are blessed with today. Philippians 4:11-13 tells us the apostle Paul's attitude. "I am not telling you this because I need anything. I have learned to be satisfied with the things I have and with everything that happens. I know how to live when I am poor, and I know how to live when I have plenty. I have learned the secret of being happy at any time in everything that happens, when I have enough to eat and when I go hungry, when I have more than I need and when I do not have enough. I can do all things through Christ, because he gives me strength."

Second, know who you are. Who does your maker say you are? Ephesians 2:10 reminds us, "God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing."

Finally, it is sad to say, but many people don't care as much about you as they do about themselves. Therefore you must really be the one who turns to God and let Him be the one who determines the life you live. The sooner you yield to Christ and let Him be in charge of your life the better you will be and those around you. God will help you not only quit the things which rob you of the best life, but He will give you the life that is real life.

God will always be there to help you, even when you have that feeling of “I quit!” Also, Christ’s church is here to help you when you are at a point of wanting to make a positive change.

We Care,

Kevin Rayner

Minister with the

Highland Church of Christ

Phone 598-3514

http://www.hcoct.org