BELiEVE

Should We Save the Blog?

2009-01-12T12:23:00.000-08:00

Hello there. My name is SavorAndTreasure Blog and I was born in January of 2007, so I am 2 years old. I have sure enjoyed talking for 2 years, but I'm wondering who is listening. I'm wondering if you are listening? How often do you visit me? My memory is not very good.

Would you answer a question that I have? Would you miss me if I was gone? Have I made a difference in your life? You see, I am thinking of going away, and the only way I will know if I'm being heard is if you write to me.

Here's how you can write to me. Below this post there is the word "COMMENTS" in blue lettering. When you put your mouse on the blue lettering it turns green. Click on "COMMENTS." There you will find a place to leave your comments. If you spend time with me, the Blog, would you leave the following information:

(1) Full Name
(2) What you like best about me, the Blog (pictures; bands; articles; links; SM schedules; etc.)
(3) If you want me, the Blog, to stick around.
(4) Would you visit me, the Blog, more if some things were changed? What?

If enough of you want me around, I'll stay. If not, I'm going on vacation...for a long, long time. Probably Aruba! You must understand that your letters are important, so please respond. You will be able to write me for several weeks, then, I may just leave. Later alligator!

2008 Fall Retreat Photos

2009-01-12T05:54:00.001-08:00

Follow this link to Steph Anderson Retreat Photos:

http://flickr.com/photos/stephanderson/sets/72157609268413072/

7 Minutes and 57 Seconds that Could Change the Course of Your Life

2009-01-05T13:11:00.000-08:00

There is something that I want very badly; to have my life count for something greater than myself. I want to live a full life, a happy life, a thrilling life. Piper gives a snapshot of the life I want. What about you?

We Have a Long Way to Go

2008-12-22T06:45:00.000-08:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Romans 5:3-5).

We are so blessed. There are things that people in the world struggle with that we cannot comprehend at all because we haven't been there, but I believe that some of those people have also experienced a joy in God that we have not yet tasted. I don't fully understand why in the Bible suffering for Christ is a positive thing to be rejoiced in.

It is amazing to me that the apostles of Jesus thought it a privileged joy to have the crap beat out of them for Jesus' name. It says, "rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name" (Acts 5:41). Why do many of us run from suffering?

I don't suffer well, but I'm working on it. I'm trying to be joyful in all circumstances. I'm trying to be like Jesus. This Christmas I think that we should make a change in our lives. I think we should commit to living each day to the fullest and rejoicing in God when we suffer.

Put a Little Love in Their Hearts

2008-12-17T10:12:00.000-08:00

Sam Handerhan

Deer Lakes Student

Sam does not attend NPC, but actively attends youth group. Her comments on Advent Caroling:

"When I went carolling, it was a real amazing experience. To go out there into the community and just share with them some Christmas spirit, well it filled me with joy. We had fun, and it was just really powerful to go into the nursing homes and places, and sing for the people there. It made them happy, especially the little kids, which in turn made me happy. The experience has really put me in the Christmas spirit and I will remember it my whole life, I'm sure."

Dana Malley

Deer Lakes Student

Dana does not attend NPC, but actively attends youth group. Her comments on serving at Light of Life with other students/adults:

"Tuesday November 25 I went downtown with a mixture of teenagers and adults. We went down to volunteer at the light of life ministry. I think most know what light of life is, but I did not before that night. I had heard about it during youth group and had decided it would be interesting. Now where I live there is a farm across the street, I live no where near the city. I always hear about people living on the street and people who can’t afford a meal, but I personally had never met any one. For me this experience was eye opening.

When we got there we were put to work in the men’s area. Debbie Davis, Katie Gretz, and I were put to work behind the counter serving food. At the end of the evening we had served over one hundred people. I was shocked that in one hour and a half we had served so many people. Ever since that night I have thought about it when I want to say, 'I’m starving'. If I had the chance I would go back and help again because for me it was interesting to step outside my usual comfort zone and open my eyes to what is going on outside my little bubble."

Thoughts by Jonathan:

Sam and Dana are not attenders of NPC, yet they served with us! I commend Sam and Dana and I am so glad that our youth group has gotten to know them. We are better because they are with us! Even small acts of service can warm and touch people's hearts and many times all we have to do is think of others, notice a need, and go do it.

Following Jesus Christ is about believing in Him, loving Him, cherishing Him above everything, and then doing what He says out of love for Him. When we do what He says in His name we honor Him and display that we have been changed by His grace.

Advent Conspiracy

2008-12-04T10:12:00.000-08:00

Comments by Jonathan

If we are honest with ourselves, Christmas to us may be more about getting the iPod or Gap gift card than it is about Jesus or thoughtfulness. There is no doubt that America is soaking in materialism and that we are part of it. Our money is power. How? How about you answer the question to finish the article...

Thank you to Deb McKinney for passing this awesome video along. Thanks Deb for sharing!

http://www.adventconspiracy.org/

Message from a Girl

2008-12-03T06:40:00.000-08:00

by Mary

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever (Luke 1:46-55).

A Response To the Girl...

By Jonathan

Oh that our teenagers, our young women, would have the heart of Mary! This young woman was strong. This young woman was filled with character and strength. This young woman was most likely a teenager! Mary was a treasure. Several things Mary understood that our young women should understand:

Chastity was important and valuable.
She understood her need for a Savior (v. 47).
She worshipped passionately.
She had great humility (v. 48).
She recognized the compassion and holiness of God (v. 53).
Jesus, her son, was the object of her praise and trust.

I hope that our young women today look at Mary as a role model, a contender for the faith, a figure of strength and honor, and I hope that our young women will aspire to be like this young woman of God.

Praising God In All We Do

2008-11-20T16:29:00.000-08:00

by Tanner Davis

Pine Richland High School Student

Praising God is not always the easiest thing to do. Every day, we face trials, tests, and tough situations. We see evil going on all around us. How can we praise God through all of this? For me, the real question is, how can I not praise God through every day? In every situation, we must look to see how God is working through it, and praise him because He is the only thing and being in this world that is truly worthy of our praise.

In everything we do, whether it be school, sports, through people, situations, in nature, etc, we can see the glory of God. This year, through running cross country, I got caught up in myself, constantly trying and wanting to be better. In fact, I spent so much time thinking of myself, I forgot that it is only by the grace of God that I am able to run. I realized this emptiness I was feeling was from these selfish ambitions. God helped me realize that through this experience, I should not be thinking about myself, but instead, striving to bring glory to Him. I started to look at every race and practice as an opportunity to praise and bring glory to God. As I took upon race after race, I could see the splendor of God. 1 Chronicles 16: 28-29 states, "Ascribe to the Lord, O families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength, ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name." This passage helps us to understand that in everything we do, we ought to not focus upon ourselves, but upon the Lord. In everything we do, we can see God's glory and we must strive to give him praise.

How can we praise God when all we may see is the evil around us? Going to a public school, I see evil actions and words every day. I constantly struggle to praise the Lord because I sometimes am caught up in the evil around me. I found reassurance through Romans 11:36. Here, Paul states, "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen." God is almighty and all things are through him. We must bring praise to the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient being that is God. Without him, there is nothing; through him, we have life. Even as we see evil, we must remember that above all, God is in control. Everything does happen for a reason: it is all a part of God's plan. Through the reassurance in this, we must seek to praise him, because we can find his glory everywhere.

God's glory shines bright for those who truly look. In every situation, every person, we can see God's glory. Psalm 19:1 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." We can see his glory in all we do: In nature, in the people around us, in the situations we are involved in or see. If His glory shines so bright, is there any reason not to praise God in everything? We must always look for how God is working in our lives and the lives of others, and praise Him for His glory.

I find the hardest time to praise God is when I am faced with trials. When we think that there is no possible way that we can praise God through our trials and tests, we must remember Job. Job's entire family was killed, his house, stock, and servants taken from him, and he was inflicted with a terrible illness. Even then, Job still praised God. In Job 1 verse 21, Job says, " The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." Job is the perfect example of praising God through everything, for even when he had nothing, Job still praised God. We may find this hard to do in our everyday lives, but remember that in all things, God is worthy of praise.

Psalm 150:6 says, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." This is a powerful statement, because we must always remember that God created us, loves us, and devotes Himself to us. For this, we must praise him. Through everything, we can see His glory and we must always remember to praise Him. In all we do, let us praise God who is worthy of all praise and glory.

Retreat Ramblings...

2008-11-17T05:50:00.000-08:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Wow. The Fall Retreats are over. Wow. I feel like a 93 year old man! Actually, I have no way of knowing how a 93 year old man feels. This year's retreats were awesome! Here are a couple things I remember...

Staying up late makes you tired.
Peter busting on fourth down for a first down.
Caving is amazing and students are amazing to leave a cave through a very small opening.
Tom A. "thrashing" on a mountain bike is fun.
Though elves did not come out play, and there was no "big booty", there were socks filled with flour flying through the air...some hitting MS students from another group. Nice.
MS & HS students, when told, are excellent house cleaners!
Dance parties happen at will in the following places: men's cabin, pavillion, men's bathroom. Interesting.
Miles and Jeremiah are really cute kids. Amen?
Kristina, Josh & Katie Gretz, Deb & Grant McKinney, Dave & Kim Gilmore, and Tommy Anderson are all...my friends, co-laborers, sold out for Jesus, sacrificial servants, and retreat masters!
The presence of a dearly loved Floridian.
Justin Shin works "miracles" with fire.
My jumpshot in the face of Jack Dupee. In your face Jack...that's what you get for blocking me.
The Student Leaders, Jack & Spencer Dupee, Megan and Kristen Yealy, Leah Bujaky, and Andrew Holt, along with Drew, know how to pull off a kickin' retreat.
It is good to eat food.

There are many things not mentioned here, and my memory is like a 93 year old man's as well, but I know that God blessed the retreats this year. We had non-NPC friends that came along and we learned about Jesus as the light. God is good...and I'm still alive.

Thank you students for making the Fall Retreats awesome this year!

Fear of Radically Letting Go[d]

2008-11-13T07:23:00.000-08:00

A Heartfelt Letter to Students by Jonathan L. Shirk

Dearest Struggling Student,

Are you scared? Do you see things in your life that you wish weren't there? Pause for a moment of silence and just think.

The teenage years can be some of the toughest. Sex becomes a strong pull. Drugs are available just around the corner for you. Peer pressure almost implodes your skull. Sports are so demanding that you feel like you're trapped. Grades...ah, grades. College is even stairing you in the face and you don't have time to think. All this and more can cloud your thoughts and even confuse your priorities. Are you scared?

Student, I want to challenge you to radically let go! There are some things in your life that you cannot gradually let go, you must radically and immediately let them go. And that takes great courage. The easy thing for you to do is hold onto it [whatever "it" is] and continue to suffer from guilt, shame, stress, lying, and more guilt. Your joy is being crucified on the cross of pain and guilt. There is a way to gain your joy!

When you radically let something go that can be the very first step in regaining your joy. What takes the place of your former pain? Joy in God. Why do we look for joy in so many places when we know where it is...it's in God!

Here are a few steps to help you think it all through:

(1) Is what your doing/experiencing giving you real joy? God-centered joy?

(2) Do you want to stop?

(3) In a firm, strong, and real way, say the powerful word "no!"

(4) Walk away and don't look back.

Student, if you love your grades more than God, courageously walk away...in this way, work as hard as you can "as unto the LORD" and kill grades as an idol by shifting your heart to God. Keep it in a healthy perspective. If you love sex or drugs or alcohol or music or movies or friends or anything more than God, first commit to loving God most, then commit to stopping, and courageously walk away. Obviously you will have to apply this to your life and some things you shouldn't walk away from...other things you should run from.

I care about you dear student and whether you have joy in God, and I ask that you consider loving Jesus above everything else. He will save your life and save your joy!

Sincerely,

Jonathan

High School is the Time for Explosive Spiritual Growth

2008-11-10T08:18:00.000-08:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

When I look at the men that I respect in life, their stories are always interesting to me. When did they meet Jesus? Were they always on fire for God? What were their teenage years like? Two men that I respect and that have shaped my life are John Piper and Francis Chan. I must say, I am more familiar with the theology and ministry of John Piper, but I'm learning more as I go about Mr. Chan (I've heard him speak several times).

It's interesting to me that John Piper was not very popular in High School, was a mediocre athlete, and did not like public speaking at all. Yet, as a teenager Piper had a deep and profound relationship with God. He knew Him and loved Him and was growing in Him.

Francis Chan also was a teenager that knew and loved God. In an interview with Chan, he was quoted as saying:

"Our dad made us go to church and so did my mothers. I never would deny God or Christ but it's hard to know when you really know God, when you've had a genuine relationship with Him. I know in high school I really understood my relationship with God. I may have had a relationship before that but I remember in high school I definitely believed in Him and loved Him. In high school a friend of mine took me to a youth group where I started learning from a youth pastor that taught in a way that I could understand. Since then God continued to develop my relationship with Him. I personally think it was definitely ingrained in me as a kid but it was understood by me in high school."

Students, do you know that your teenage years can be deep years? Do you know that your relationship with God can be deeper, more profound, shaped, and that your love for Him can grow exponentially? But, you cannot be lazy. You must invest in your relationship.

I hope that I'm a Director of Student Ministry that teaches in a way students understand. I hope that I'm speaking God's language to students so they will see the beauty of God, and that they would "graduate" from Student Ministry closer to God and on a mission to know Him and live Him out in the world. God, please make that happen.

Why Do Students Like "Torture Porn"

2008-10-30T13:13:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

"Torture porn" is a new term for me. I just learned about it today. It's as easy as choosing several friends on Facebook and looking at their movie interests, to searching on the Internet the statistics behind the Saw movie craze, to see students like gore. Saw, a film categorized as "torture porn", grossed over $18m opening weekend, and $103,096,345 worldwide since its release. Hostel, another "torture porn" film, grossed over $19.5m opening weekend, and over $80.5m worldwide. Why are these films successful?

From the MSN Movie site, Don Kaye writes, "The term 'torture porn' has little to do with real pornography. There is virtually no sexual activity involved, although the victims are usually nude or partially nude. Instead, it expresses the idea that its viewers are intensely, pruriently aroused by the sight of human bodies -- usually young, nubile ones, and quite often female -- getting torn into bloody chunks in the most awful ways imaginable."

This is interesting to me considering there are youth at NPC who may feel this prurient arousal. "Prurient" means, "having a restless desire or longing" and can carry a lustful nuance or meaning. Therefore, the brutal, gross, and merciless death and killing on screen gives the students some type of arousal.

I am continually struck by the culture we live in. It is completely out of control and evil. Christians from around the USA justify all kinds of impure things in their lives because we have been dulled and desensitized and suffer from a hardened conscience. I live with that tension as well.

We need to look at our lives and ask if ALL areas are conforming to Jesus. We must never let down our guard as we study whether we live in accordance with the gospel of Jesus. I mean, if Paul says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (Philippians 4:8) shouldn't we think critically about the media we consume? Even the violent, but good king David wrote, "I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless" (Psalm 101:3).

Students and parents, I think we can enjoy movies, music, and TV, but we must do so carefully. Think. Pray. Discern. We want to honor Jesus Christ in ALL that we do, and I am hard pressed to say all the movies that I watched in the past were glorifying to God. I can't say that. I wish I could take some of them back.

Students, you have time to take a stand and not watch every movie that comes your way. You can say no. You can say no with the help of Jesus. You can live above reproach. I want you to have a pure and godly mind; so I challenge you to protect it. I challenge you because I love you.

I Can't Change a Single Heart

2008-10-20T08:29:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

In terms of the worlds standards, this blog is not very successful. I don't spend a ton of time on it, but it is important to me nonetheless. We have about 30+ hits per week, which is nothing to write home about. I do believe that somehow God has used this blog in the lives of our families at NPC. I know at least one family that has used some of the content for their family devotions! God probably has used this blog.

One reason I love to blog is that I can lay my thoughts out in an almost journal type of way. I can express thoughts here like I would in a journal. It's good for me. I like journaling online, and opening my thoughts up to others in our youth group (we've had hits around the world...so maybe some foreigners benefited).

Something from the video above struck me: "you can't change a single heart." I work hard on Student Ministry at NPC, and my leaders work hard. Yet, we cannot change a single student's heart. Only God can do that. That would seem to make our job void or unimportant. Not so. My Student Ministry team is vital because we are one humble means that God uses to draw students to Himself. If we love Jesus passionately, maybe some other people will see that passion, like it, and notice that Jesus is the reason for the passion.

I want to be faithful in Student Ministry, and I confess that I have largely given up praying for students. I get so busy that my prayer life suffers, and I'm going to commit to praying for students and families again. I think it is that important. Would you join me in committing to prayer for students and families? Would you take radical action and trust God with results? Let's watch Him move...

Why Yes, I Am the Best!

2008-10-13T05:28:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Why is it that there are days that we feel above everyone else? Maybe we got a really good grade on a test, or maybe we scored the winning goal. But, on those days, everyone else seems inferior. Of course we would never tell anyone that, but we feel it inside. We might even find ourselves offering a lot more advice to others on those days. Why is that?

Why is it that there are days that we feel that everyone is better than we are? Maybe we failed at something, lost a friend, or morally fell. Those days are different. We look around, in the midst of our inferiority complex, and think, "Why am I such a screw up? Why can't I do anything right?" We tend to retreat into a world of self-pity. Why is that?

The reason is pride. We love ourselves a lot. Pride is self-centeredness that manifests itself in arrogance and conceit as well as self-pity and insecurity. Satan desires us to die by pride.

I have struggled for many years with pride, and I am trying, by the grace and power of God, to kill pride in my life. I hate what it does to me. I worry, I think I'm better, I lack joy, I overlook others, etc. I want to grow to the point where my joy is maximized because I'm concerned with the best interests of others. I want to encourage, love, build up, exhort, befriend, sharpen, etc. other people.

In closing, consider the words of Paul to the Phillipians: "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Philippians 2:3-4).

Cool Water

2008-10-08T05:20:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

"If we desire fresh, cool water, we must dig a deeper well. We will not find pure, refreshing water by digging many shallow wells." Dick Staub

This quote is incredible. It is especially incredible in the context of America. So many of us long for fresh, cool water. Not actually drinking water, though we need that too, but a water to quench the thirst of our souls.

We must realize that the source of our eternal joy and thirst quenching is in the deepest, most profound truths of God, not in a shallow or immature understanding of God. We will never stop thirsting, stop craving, stop needing unless we drink deeply from God.

What do I mean by "drink deeply." Here are three examples, but drinking deeply is not limited to these three.

1. Personal Bible Study--I will go so far as to say you cannot grow in Christ, over the long term, without a regular study of God's Word, the Bible. The more shallow you drink from the Bible, the more shallow your faith will be.

2. Sunday School--This opportunity for growth exists because we as Christians believe like the Muslims, Jews, and Mormons...teaching our young people truth is of utmost importance (unfortunately the Muslims, Jews, and Mormons don't have the truth). When we see that less than one third of our students at NPC engage in Sunday School, we wonder if our students and families are drinking deeply from the well of Scripture, and the well of God.

3. Small Groups--Other people can help you drink deeply from the well. Student Ministry has launched a massive ministry to students through small groups. Students who commit to small groups most likely will commit to drinking more deeply from God and His Word.

This is a challenge to you as students...dig deep wells, not a lot of shallow ones. There are a lot of things pulling you here and there, vying for your time, but are they deep and purposeful wells? I beg you to not maintain a surface and immature relationship with God, that may prove to be no relationship at all. I beg you to drink the pure, cool water of Christ and go deep with him.

Creativity through Sand Art

2008-09-29T13:40:00.001-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Creativity exists because God exists. Humanity expressing itself through art is a dim reflection of the image of God. We are creative because God is creative. We are made in His image. May beauty change your life. I pray that beauty for you is seeing God's hand in creation, redemption, and most of all...Jesus.

The Nano Speaks (I Tried to Do Handstands for You)

2008-09-22T07:31:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the new Nano commercial? I did. I immediately looked up the song from the commercial on the internet because I liked it.

Sometimes I think about lyrics that musicians write, and I look for ways that the truth or message from the song relates to my Christian walk. It is amazing to see the similarities.

In the song Bruises by Chairlift, the overal theme relates to my life. It gives me a challenge in my relationship with Jesus. The lead singer is telling of her attempts to do handstands for her love. When she tries to accomplish this task, she gets black and blue by falling. She is a risk taker. Then her love grabs some frozen strawberries to ice her knees, and they melt. Uh oh. The July sun causes him a sticky mess of melting strawberries. She then proceeds to ruin her new jeans (possibly Hollister jeans) by grass stains and holes in the knees. All this for her love.

There are many things that are horrible. One of them is ruining jeans, although we buy jeans with holes already in the knees. But anyway, what will we do in the name of love. What will we do to prove our love for someone else.

Two things: (1) What are we willing to do (radical things) to display our love for Jesus? (2) What are we willing to do (radical things) to display our love for our friends? Are we willing to risk ruining our jeans in order to love Jesus? Are we willing to get grass stains so other people are happy? I want to live my life for Jesus and for others. This song isn't talking about Jesus, but the message sure makes sense when you apply it to your relationship with Jesus and others.

Get "black and blue" for Jesus by killing your pride, killing your lust, killing your envy, killing your jealousy, and by risking for the benefit of other people. Love him! Love others!

Christians Aren't Into Religion, They're Into Jesus

2008-09-16T14:15:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Christianity can be defined as a movement of people that are deeply committed to following Jesus Christ. Christianity is more about relationship than law. In order to be a Christian, you must be saved by the immense and generous grace of God through Jesus Christ alone. No one is saved by what they do. Everyone who is saved is saved by grace alone.

Why is it that so many people perceive following Jesus as a list of rules. I don't understand. Many students that have grown up in the church understand their faith as being, "I'm told not to have sex before I'm married, but I feel like having sex. So, I'm going to fool around and stop short of sex in order to remain a virgin, but explore as much as I can without having sex." Or, "I know that watching this movie isn't right. Why not! I cannot believe I shouldn't watch this. Who do you think you are God telling me I shouldn't watch things like this. I want to dang-it!" Or how about this: "I know if I just keep my nose clean I'll be okay. At least I'm not doing what joe-youth-group is doing. God, I'm okay with you right?"

True Christians, true followers of Jesus Christ find themselves with a new thinking process. Instead of seeing the Ten Commandments as a downer, the new heart sees ALL the commandments of God as a pleasure. Following what Jesus is and what he said is about following everything with joy. That means that if Jesus would not have illegally burned music, that followers of Jesus WANT and are PLEASED to say no to illegal downloads or burned discs. Make sense.

I don't want this article to be about the exact issues I mentioned. I want it to be thought provoking to you. I want you to think through whether following Jesus is a joy to you, something that you desire to do, something you get great excitement to do. One simple measure is: how excited are you to study God's Word, pray, and encourage others because you want to experience God more? If that's not how you feel, perhaps you need to be saved! I'd love to talk with you and introduce you to Jesus because there is immense, eternal, awesome JOY waiting for you!

Here's to putting religion to death in our hearts and following Jesus!

Get Closer to Me

2008-09-08T06:37:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

I actually don't like Jars of Clay. However, this new song of theirs rocks. Maybe you're not into all the techno influences and the pop nature; but I am. Give it a try.

If I may take their lyrics out of context and use them for my own point. Oh yes, at least I've admitted it. They write, "If you want my love, well you've got to get close to me." What if this was our anthem with other people. What if we desired to make new friends...good ones. If we are honest, there are all kinds of interesting people around us that we don't know, let alone love. What if we desire to get to know more people on a deeper level. This is exciting.

In order for "love" to set in--and I don't mean romantic love, I mean solid, loving friendships that we all crave--we must "get close." What could this mean? You can't get close to other people unless you take the risk of initiating conversation and spending time with other people. I know a lot of students at NPC because I've spent time with them. I also don't know a lot of students because I haven't spent time with them. Aren't you the same.

Some people you may "write off" as not being very interesting. Don't do that. Try to bridge the gap between you and many people and your life will be enriched. You will experience all kinds of wild things. Here is my point: this year would you commit to opening yourself up to others by getting to know them. Don't talk about yourself, talk about them and "get close" to them. Invest in others. See what God does through that!

Listen to this song by Sanctus Real and see if you can take steps towards others this year! This song is so encouraging!

God is Green

2008-09-03T10:25:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

No, I don't think God is actually green in color. He is not similar to Kermit the Frog! What I mean by "green" is concerned for the environment or His creation. God created all things in the span of six days and rested the seventh. After He was done creating God saw that His creation was good. He was pleased.

In prior years of my life I was extremely sceptical of the "green" "environmental" movement. I still am sceptical, but not of the entire thing; only toward the heavily political and untruthful part of it. Much of the "green movement" is good if a Christian studies Romans 8.

Romans 8:19-23, "For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies."

Is pollution sinful? Yes. Clearly God did not intend for humanity to destroy His creation. He rather gave Adam (humanity) the responsibility to care for it. As a result of Adam's sin, all of creation is subjected to futility. Creation "groans" as it waits to be redeemed by Christ. We ourselves, as part of creation, groan until Christ redeems us.

God is "green" or concerned for His creation. We as followers of Jesus should recognize the intense beauty of God's creation and how we can be the best, honorable, and wise stewards of it. We don't need to get all political about it or fabricate "truths" about it that are not based on scientific fact, but we should have a concern for the environment. I think a lot of us have gotten it wrong. We respond to the politics and throw the beautiful baby out with the bathwater. Let's stop doing that and let's together care for the environment!

Writing Essays and Partying for the Glory of God

2008-08-26T05:49:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

This past Sunday evening at the last Summer Sunday, the Bible verse that was used was Paul's word to the church of Corinth: "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). This applies to all areas of our life.

School is coming. That almost sounds like a line from a cheap horror movie. Anyway, school is coming along with the homework, projects, sports events, activities, parties, telephone calls, and text marathons. If you as a student know that school is coming, what are you doing to prepare your heart for the year?

When you are in third period English and the teacher gives you an essay assignment and you start thinking, "I hate this. I don't even like English. In fact, I wish I was German", how will you adjust your heart. If your attitude and heart is negative and at best apathetic, how will you exalt Jesus in the writing of your essay? How will you change in order to love God more?

You also will most likely find yourself at a party this year. Soda. Pizza. Video games. Pool. Talking. Joking. Movies. Will you be able to make wise choices this year? Will you be able to reveal in practical ways that you love God and are partying for Him. If you aren't partying for Him, what are you partying for?

I plead with you as your friend and older, spiritual brother to make Christ the practical center of your life. Put Jesus first this year, and you will never regret that you did! I'm rooting for you this year.

Why Inviting Friends to Student Ministry is Easy

2008-08-21T10:16:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

I believe that many students are fearful of inviting friends to our Student Ministry activities. I think there are many reasons for being fearful:

1. If I bring a friend, the other students might not accept them.

2. I don't know anyone at youth group.

3. None of my friends know I'm a Christian.

4. I don't want my friends to come, I'd rather spend time with my friends at church.

5. What!? We are allowed to bring friends.

The list goes on. Students have heard the leaders say before, "Bring your friends" but they may not know what we mean and why we say it. Here are a few thoughts for students to consider:

1. Students and families are the single greatest influence in growing a youth group (or church). As the Director, my influence in over 10 school districts is really limited. If 30 students in youth group each invited a friend each week, our group and our impact would go from 30 to 60. It would be a miracle for me to produce the same result.

2. Students bringing friends introduces other students to those friends potentially sparking up new friendships. Sometimes the coolest people and closest friends are the ones you "write off." The people that you think you could never be friends with, might be your new best friend.

3. Bringing a friend to youth group can ease your own uncertainty in coming. Some students don't come to Student Ministry activities because they don't know anyone. This is unfortunate. They will never get to know anyone if they don't ever come on a regular basis. Bringing a friend ensures you know at least one person and you can gang up on others to spark conversation.

4. Students who invite their friends open the door for their friends to meet Jesus. Inviting friends is not the only way to share Jesus, it is only one way. But a good way. The reality is, there can be spiritual growth if our youth group never grows in number. However, if friends never come, no one has a passion to bring them, it would probably indicate that no one cares about sharing Christ with their friends. If our ministry of Student Ministry never affects the hearts of non-Christians, is our ministry worth it? Valid question.

What I desire to see is our students taking small steps to introduce their friends to Jesus. If our students are saved, that immediately means they are missionaries by default. Not only by default, but it is a privilege to be on Christ's team. Every true Christian is a missionary that is sent by Christ. We need to work together to take Christ to school and win it.

Inviting friends can be easy. How? Anything that you are excited about is easy for your friends to get excited about. All you have to do is ask: "Hey, on Sunday nights a bunch of high schoolers/middle schoolers get together at my church. It's awesome. Would you like to come?" Then, continue to ask them whether they come with you or not. Our impact upon their life will increase the more they come. Remember to keep asking. You can do it...and you can have fun doing it. It's easy right?

Megan, Luke, and David: Three Students Modeling Christ

2008-08-12T09:32:00.001-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Two things have caught my eyes. The first is this. It's called The Rebolution (http://www.therebelution.com/). Here are two teenage young men that are touring around the United States with a message for young people: doing hard things for Christ is awesome. Teenagers around the country are being encouraged that they don't have to live mediocre lives, but can rebel against culture and do massive things for God, with God's power.

Alex and Brett Harris, brothers of the famous author Joshua Harris, not only are touring the USA on their Do Hard Things Tour but have written a book entitled "Do Hard Things" (see blog article on Monday, April 14th). These two young men are casting a vision for our youth that living a comfortable life, playing video games, watching TV, and playing with iPods is not life...serving Christ by doing hard, but intensely rewarding things is life. You...a student...could be so influential in this world, for a cause, if you submit to Christ.

The second thing that catches my eyes are three students who were willing to trade some valuable time for an experience in Russia. Megan Yealy, Luke Hopper, and David Brown are just three students willing to do the hard thing and serve Christ by serving others in a foreign country. Russia can be hot, Russian food can be gross (at least some of it), and Russian culture can be uncomfortable. The the joy that comes for these students from their willingness to sacrifice. These three students are modeling Christ, modeling the principle of doing hard things, and they are sacrificing personally because there is something spectacular to experience: God.

Enjoy theses videos. Encourage these three students when they come home.

If you have interest in taking your faith to another level, to commit to reading through this book with other teens and Jonathan, and then commenting online in an open discussion forum, would you e-mail me at jonathanshirk@northparkepc.org.

God Wrote A Love Song About You

2008-07-14T19:58:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

This past week, Kristina, Jeremiah, and I went to Little Buffalo State Park in Central Pennsylvania. My mother's side of the family has been camping for 42 years. This was the first experience that I had with Jeremiah in the pool. Kristina took him to the Grove City pool several weeks prior, but this was daddy's first trip to the blue with his son.

Jeremiah is experiencing things for the first time, and there Kristina and I are to experience it with him. All the new colors, smells, tastes, and feelings are taken in by this young mind. It would be intriguing to step inside of Jeremiah's mind for a few moments to really understand what he is thinking. "My parents are weird." Perhaps. "Who are all of these people and why are they making faces at me?" Perhaps. "Wow, I have wonderful relatives." Eh. Whatever it is, I'm sure it is interesting.

Through all that Jeremiah experiences with us, we watch in awe. We are so blessed, and any parent that has been in our shoes knows what I'm talking about. We enjoy him. We are overwhelmed with such love for this young, young man, and even though at times his crying could lead me to place my head through the plaster in my living room, he is our joy (not supreme joy, that is reserved for Christ only). A father's love for his son. Deep. Emotive. Sincere. Everlasting. Unconditional. Who my son is is a delight to me.

The God who created all things loves deeply. If you have faith in Jesus, God has drawn you to His immense love and favor, and he delights in you. He has saved you in order to rejoice over you with gladness, and He even is delighting in you by singing a perfect, heavenly song about you. When God pulls you into His grace and mercy, lavishing you with His perfect love, He takes joy in you as you take joy in Him. This love that the Father has is intense.

Zephaniah 3:17, "The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing."

If I am every down, or depressed, or feeling low, I need only remember that the only omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, all-loving, all-delightful, all-consuming God loves me. I love my son Jeremiah, but God loves me more.

Ransomed from the Wrath of God

2008-06-26T15:29:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

It is fairly common to think of many souls of men being possessed by Satan. When we look at the war, violence, drugs, state of the family, etc. of the world, it doesn't look like anyone else has the souls of men. But understanding God's sovereignty is extremely important when understanding your own salvation.

Jesus Christ was the ransom paid for the souls of many (Matthew 20:28). A ransom is a price paid for the freedom of something or someone. Jesus Christ was sacrificed on the cross to pay a price, a price to free the souls of certain men (I say certain because not all souls are freed). Who was Jesus Christ ransomed to? Or, if Jesus was a price, to whom was the price paid? Satan? Or God?

Jesus Christ was paid as a ransom to God. Propitiation is a fancy word meaning that Jesus took on the full penalty of God's wrath and anger so that you didn't have to receive it. Then, Jesus made your relationship with God excellent through faith given to you. Therefore, Jesus' death was to appease the almighty wrath, anger, and fury of God. Then, through Jesus, we are now friends of God. We are considered heirs, co-heirs with Christ and brothers and sisters to the King.

Satan is not the owner of any one's soul, God is the sole owner. All that Satan does must go through God. God is in control of the universe, not Satan. God is sovereign, not Satan. Satan is severely second rate.

Worship God by adoring Him because He is sovereign and because He gave up His own Son to save your pathetic soul (pathetic meaning significantly less than God). Now, you are free indeed; free to enjoy the depths of God for eternity. That is cause to rejoice. Praise Jesus He was willing to die in order that we may live.

RANDOM THOUGHT

2008-06-12T10:21:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Have you ever been walking along on a perfectly flat surface and you catch your one foot and trip a bit, only to realize someone saw you do it. That happened to me in the office and Pastor Dave saw it...I referenced a speed bump on the floor. At least I didn't fall on my face.

Drugs and Alcohol Are Nothing Compared to God

2008-06-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Sometimes we think of Christians as good, clean people. But do we ever think of what Christian people were delivered from? Followers of Jesus are never better than other people, but they are different. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ covers all of their sin, where the non-follower of Christ remains under the immense, intense, and serious wrath and anger of God.

This story of my friend Nathan is an amazing story of grace, mercy, and joy. Nathan found His joy in God alone and in the deliverance from his life of sin. Does Nathan still sin? Certainly, and he would not mind me saying so. But Nathan is covered with the blood of Jesus and has been acquitted and justified.

Will you devote your life to knowing and following Jesus? Will you find your ultimate joy like Nathan. Enjoy his testimony!

RANDOM THOUGHT

2008-06-05T09:55:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

I purchased bananas to eat in my office. They turned brown. So, I called my wife and asked her if she would like to make banana bread tonight. She said yes. It's the simple things in life that keep it exciting. I love banana bread...but I love my wife way more!

Startling Teenage Statistics

2008-06-02T05:34:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

"Close to 2800 [female] teens get pregnant each day." "1 in 4 sexually active teens become infected with an STD every year." "Approximately 80% of adult smokers started smoking before the age of 18." "More than 40% of teens who admitted drinking said they drink when they are upset; 31% said they drink alone; 25% said they drink when they are bored; and 25% said they drink to 'get high.'" "Eight young people a day die in alcohol-related crashes." As startling and eye-opening as these statistics are, the following statistic may surprise you. 100% of teenagers between the age of 13-19 are guilty of idolatry!

I am extremely interested in idolatry of the human heart, because it is so relevant, current, and applicable to me and every teenager that I hang out with. Parents are zealous is training their children to avoid premarital sex, underage drinking, and drug abuse, yet it appears that many teens are caught more by idolatry, which is a far more serious offense.

We conventionally understand idolatry as being the worship of idols or the excessive adoration or reverence of something. But, do we understand that idols are not necessarily made of stone, wood, or metal. They might be, but could getting good grades be an idol? What about self-image? What about getting into college? What about keeping your nose clean? What about soccer?

I think that anything can be an idol. Really, anything that takes precedence over God or has more value in our hearts than God is an idol. God not only deserves first place in our hearts, He absolutely demands it. And, with His demand comes the greatest promise ever given. When we are saved, God becomes the greatest treasure of our lives, and when this happens, God promises us a complete joy, and fulfilling joy, that can only be found in Him. See, we do not lay our idols down to only pick up an inferior Jesus. We lay our idols down, turn to Jesus, in order to find our very purpose for living, our most exuberant joy, our most fulfilling delight. Jesus is not a loser and never takes second place. He is a triumphant King that always wins.

I hope that through North Park Church Student Ministry we help students see that drunkenness or premarital sex is NOT the cardinal sin; loving something more than God is! And when students love something more than God, their behavior reveals it (i.e. drunkenness, premarital sex, pride, mockery, etc.). Let us love God most!

Statistics found at http://www.soundvision.com/Info/teens/stat.asp.

May Life Move You

2008-05-28T06:13:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Sometimes we retreat from our world to be mindlessly entertained by movies, music, sports, books, etc. We retreat because we don't want to think, at least for a moment, about the pressing things on our hearts. So, we turn to Indiana Jones, Coldplay's new album Viva La Vida, and Lost. But what if we were to leave our minds on and think through the content of culture?

I have become increasingly interested in movies that can move me to tears. Very rarely do I cry at movies, but if a film can move my heart to the point where my lacrimal gland starts pumping out tears, I know it is a good movie with emotion, passion, and meaning. I shed tears during Saving Private Ryan. I shed tears during In America. I would have shed tears during I Am Sam, but some people in the room were distracting me. What things move you?

Kristina and I recently watched the movie Bella and were both very moved. This is a movie that gets it right! Life is a precious gift from God and should be valued, guarded, protected, and cherished. Family is also a precious gift from God, yet we take it for granted almost every day! Friendship, built upon trust, patience, and honor is fulfilling and rich.

What we see in Hollywood often disappoints, but I do not think that Bella does. This Toronto Film Festival winner deserved the awards. Give this movie a chance and see if it doesn't challenge you.

Your Heart Is A Silo

2008-05-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Your heart is really a silo. I grew up around silos and they would hold feed for the animals. Basically, a silo is a tall, cylindrical storehouse. It is used to hold things. Your heart is also used to store and treasure up things. But what is your heart intended to store or treasure up?

In Psalm 119 a skilled poet and musician wrote the following words: "How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes!"

This musician used his heart as a silo in order to treasure up the Word of God in his heart. What is the Word of God? The Word of God is God's inspired communication to man; what we know as the Bible today. When the psalmist wrote his song, it obviously did not include many of the books we now consider the Bible. But, for the song writer, it was still the direct communication of God.

Why would anyone want to overflow the storehouse of their heart with God's Word? Notice the motivation of the song writer: "that I might not sin against you." He valued God over everything else, to the extent that his loving aim was to avoid sin. He desired to avoid sin because he cherished God. This song writer is powerfully and intentionally seeking the wisdom of God's words. He wants them. He desires them. He is passionate about them.

Maybe you and I can pray together that God gives us a flaming passion for His Word. We will dry up without it! In order for us to live a pure, undefiled, and Christ-honoring life we must constantly meditate on God's Word, hiding it in the silo of our heart in order to love God more intimately. We do not intentionally avoid the things we love; we intentionally run to them.

When Kristina gives me a word of encouragement or a challenge, I love her words because I love her. Would you display your love for God as you devour His Word?

A Blog from Jesus

2008-05-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

by Jesus

"A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear."

"Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

RANDOM THOUGHT

2008-05-08T07:02:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Today I washed down a daily vitamin with a swig of Mug Root Beer. What is my problem?

If Jesus Says "Don't", Will You Say "I Won't"?

2008-05-05T09:34:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

If you think about it, the word "don't" can be a really awesome word. You are asked, "Do you like to murder people?" If you can't say, "I don't", I guess you could say, "Yes, I love murder." What if your best friend asks you, "Do you like him/her" when you know they like him/her? "No I don't" can be a relief for everyone. What if the law could not say, "Don't drive between the white line and the two yellow lines...on the left side of the road." Chaos. Pain. Death.

If you really stop to think about it, one of the most powerfully influential words is "don't." Why is it that "don't" gets such a bad deal. Many people think the word is oppressive. But what people fail to recognize is that in most cases, if not all cases, "don't" also has a "do."

"I don't want to get a D in Calculus" or "I do want to get an A in Calculus." "Don't drive on the left side of the road" could also mean "Do drive on the right side of the road." You may respond to "don't" with, "Don't tell me what I can and cannot do." Ha, you responded with "don't." But, your heart may also ask "Why?"

This is where we find ourselves with Jesus many times. "Don't tell me I cannot have sex before marriage" or "Don't tell me I shouldn't lie" or "Don't tell me not to swear." We really don't like to be told no. However, have we ever thought of looking for the answer to "why" in the positive side of "don't?" Here is what I mean. If God says, "I don't want you to murder", He is also saying, "I want you to value human life." If God says, "I don't want you to hate", He is also saying, "I want you to love."

See, Jesus does tell us no, but he tells us no for a purpose. Jesus tells us no for our own joy and delight. Jesus tells us not to have idols, because idols will not fill our hearts with joy. He is the only person that can offer us, and deliver, real, authentic joy. So instead, Jesus says "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full" (John 15:11). Jesus loves when we are happy and filled with joy. That is why he tells us the truth.

If Jesus says, "Don't!", will your heart gladly say, "I won't!" If you love Jesus, you will do what he says, out of JOY (John 14:15). Following Jesus is not a burden, it is a delight. So if Jesus says, "I'm asking you to obey your parents", you follow up with, "I'd be glad to, for I not only love my parents, I love you Jesus most of all!"

ENJOY THIS SWEET MUSIC VIDEO:

The Joy of Fasting for the Poor

2008-04-28T05:24:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

This past weekend many of our students from North Park Church, and some friends from outside of North Park Church, spent their weekend fasting for the poor. It was a powerful weekend.

Our students did a great job! I believe that Jesus Christ was honored this weekend as compassion for the poor and love for God were manifested through self-sacrifice and discipline. If you have never fasted for 30 hours, it is a difficult task.

I think one of the most powerful events of the weekend was the "Candlelight Quiet." When we entered the worship center there were between 250-300 tea lights glowing from the chancel through beautiful, small glass containers. There was a red cloth laid over the steps and the candles rested upon it. Everything else was dark. One by one, every 2-3 seconds, Deb, Grant, and I extinguished the candles. It took several minutes, until the last candle stood. Deb picked it up and explained that there is hope in Jesus Christ. About 300 children die every 15 minutes from hunger related causes; the candles were a reminder of the numbers.

One of the most interesting times of the weekend was the "break-fast" meal at the end. When the participants came into the room they chose a small card from a bag. Only three people chose a card with a yellow dot on it. Those sat at the privileged table. This table received steak, french fries, salad, and bread sticks. Everyone else received rice and beans. This was to display that life is unfair and that much of the world's population receives only a little bit of food, if any at all. Rice and beans would be extravagant to some people in the world.

I was surprised to see the reactions of some of our students. They were mad. Even after going through all of the weekend, raising awareness, raising money, displaying compassion and empathy, their flesh was revealed in the end. Their hunger and desire for food was so strong that in a moment they forgot what they had been through and what so many around the world go through every day, and they were affected immediately. It appeared that they were disappointed and felt mistreated.

I hope that our students, and our leaders who participated, are able to make the connection with the "break-fast" meal and the 30 Hour Famine. Hunger is painful. Hunger can make you think and feel things. Our flesh is weak! Even Esau sold his birthright to Jacob out of hunger (Genesis 25:30-34). And yet the kind Jesus told us, "If anyone eats of this bread [his flesh], he will live forever." Not having food should never be the cause of anger, especially considering we live in an excessive culture. Our hunger should remind us of how weak we are, how much we need Jesus, and how earthly food only sustains the body; not the soul. Only Jesus sustains the soul.

Let us remember that in ALL circumstances we are to praise God. "So whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you do [fast or eat rice and beans while others eat steak], do all to the glory of God." Think about it, when some Ethiopians eat rice, they are filled with gratitude to God knowing that many in America eat steak on a regular basis!

Religion Will Kill You, Jesus Will Give You Life

2008-04-21T06:29:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Religion is popular. Many people love it. Jesus doesn't. Buddhism. Hinduism. New Ageism. Evolutionism. Catholicism. Christian Scientism. Judaism. All of the religious systems of the world advocate an anti-gospel. What I mean is that the emphasis of these religions is not placed upon the Trinitarian God giving grace to sinners through Jesus Christ, but rather "doing" in order to earn something from God. God hates any system or religion that places the emphasis upon human action as a means to attaining something from Him, rather than the person and work of His Son Jesus.

When Jesus lived on earth he was adamantly opposed to the religious people. The Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees were in the wrong, and Jesus went after them. He even bitingly called them children of hell (Matthew 23:15). Today, many religious people are indeed far from the heart of Jesus.

Jesus will provide all things for those who trust in Him. Faith is a gift and grace is also a cherished blessing given by God. The beauty of following Jesus Christ and embracing the truth of the Bible is that religion fails, but Jesus does not. Death comes through religion, life comes through Jesus. Jesus doesn't want us to follow a set of rules in order to appease God, he wants us to trust Him as He loves sinners and saves them. Jesus desires us, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to follow Him out of love for Him which is a result of the love He has for us.

God loves us, therefore we are changed and re-wired to love Him. Only then do we begin to follow Jesus. It takes an act of God, not an act of man, to bring a dead sinner to new spiritual life. Then, the love comes.

Pastor Mark Driscoll has an encouraging word for you regarding why he hates religion. Listen closely!

Do Hard Things

2008-04-14T07:53:00.001-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

There are many difficult things that are very worth doing. Think about it. Exercise is difficult, but the benefits are great. Physical therapy on your gimpy knee is hard work, but it increases your flexibility, strength, and ability to do regular things. Studying the Bible can be difficult when you may not understand it all, yet when you mine out the truth that God reveals to you, you are drawn closer to the heart of God. It can be really hard to carve out time to pray, yet God honors your prayers by answering them according to His perfect timing and will.

Alex and Brett Harris (twin brothers of Joshua Harris) have started what's called The Rebelution. Their award winning blog site is one of the most popular teenage sites today receiving over 16 million hits. The Rebelution is challenging teenage students to do difficult things for God.

Alex and Brett are also authors of the book, Do Hard Things. I encourage our students to read this book and process it. What is God calling YOU to do? How could God use YOU to impact culture? Where do YOU need to grow in Christ?

I also encourage students to check out the blog (http://www.therebelution.com/blog/) as well as the book! When was the last time you read a good book that challenged your faith!

Disclaimer: I have not read the book. I cannot stand by the content based on my experience, but those commenting on the book I trust; Albert Mohler, CJ Mahaney, Joshua Harris, Justin Taylor, etc.

Leeland Releases a Rock Solid Album

2008-04-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

Leeland released their newest album entitled "Opposite Way". This album has solid lyrics, great melodies, and rippin' guitars.

From the "bio" section of Leeland's site: "'A major theme on our new album is to encourage our generation to live passionately for the Lord, even when it means going the "opposite way" of the world,' muses front man Leeland Mooring, (also a respected songwriter outside of the band, who prominently contributed to Michael W. Smith's recent album, Stand). 'It's OK to be different. It's OK to "live out loud" for God. Our goal is to be a creative outlet, helping to raise up a new generation of worshippers who do whatever it takes to make that "opposite way" a reality in their lives.'"

Christians tend to buy the lie that they must silence their Christianity because it is a deeply personal thing and not to be pressed or pushed on others. Though I adamantly agree that Jesus should not be "pushed" on others (because He cannot be), with a rush of creativity and winsomeness, students can make their voice heard. Music, art, writing, speaking, leading, altruism, etc. can be creatively Christ-centered and lead people to God's glory.

Christ-followers should be some of the most passionately creative and loving people in the world. Jesus was.

Bulimia of the Soul

2008-03-31T06:52:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Bulimia is a very serious eating disorder common among young women (men struggle too). This is a disorder "that is characterized by binge eating and followed by feelings of guilt, depression, and self-condemnation. It is often associated with measures taken to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting, the use of laxatives, dieting, or fasting" (dictionary.com).

I believe there is a bulimia of the soul. Bulimia of the soul has slightly different implications to our spiritual lives than does physical bulimia to the body. Many teenagers who have grown up in the church struggle with this spiritual condition. They go to church on Sunday, participate in Sunday School, and then in the evening go to youth group. On Sundays they feed on a lot of spiritual information. They feast. They binge. Then, when Monday morning comes, they purge.

What I mean is this. It is easy for those who claim to be followers of Christ to feast at church and then fast in "regular" life. They rarely, if ever, open their Bibles in private study during the week, let alone have focused prayer time. They save all the "spiritual feasting" for Sundays! What is meant to carry on throughout the week (Bible Study, prayer, fellowship, etc) is compressed into one day: Sunday. Then, during the week they feast on the world's food (i.e. pride, gossip, self-image, reputation, grades, athletics, video games, movies, music, etc.). At school they feel petrified with fear because their faith may ostracize them from others. They may be made fun of or considered "different" and that is not worth the risk, so they vomit their faith and start binging on the teenage culture at school. Signs of this "spiritual purging" could be: (1) your friends don't know you love and follow Jesus; (2) you've never shared your faith in Christ with someone who doesn't know Christ; (3) your life looks just like your non-Christian friends; (4) you love the world; (5) the only Bible that you read is on Sunday during a class or the sermon.

So, in a sense, it is dualistic. Students binge on "godliness" on Sunday, then purge on Monday at school. And, they begin to purge on "worldliness" at school on Monday, and then purge on the following Sunday before church. What this means is that those with bulimia of the soul think they can feast on "godliness" on Sunday and survive spiritually, and also feast on "worldliness" during the week and not be too affected spiritually. All throughout this process, students feel guilty because they are living a two-faced life. They are inconsistent at school and church, and that inconsistency causes guilt, anxiety, pain, uncertainty, etc. What is a student to do when they realize they have Bulimia of the soul?

If someone struggles with physical bulimia, they are harming their body and must change their routine. They need a steady, nutritious diet to give them energy and life. The binging must turn into moderate, steady meals throughout the week. The purging must cease in order for the nutrients to be used by the body. It is similar with bulimia of the soul. Students must actually FEAST regularly from the Word of God during the week, steadily and intentionally. They also must stop feasting on the world (purge the world). They must purge themselves of worldliness and feast on godliness. See, for the physical bulimic, excessive feeding on food is harmful, but for the follower of Christ, feasting and feeding on the "bread of life" or the Word of God, you cannot feast enough! More is always better. Christ will always sustain and grow.

Purge on worldliness, feast and feed on godliness...regularly!

Many students struggle deeply through the week, and that struggling will be filled with meaning, purpose, hope, victory, and joy if they kill and defeat the bulimia of the soul. If a student spends his/her time finding God's hand in their lives and feasting upon Jesus, upon His Word, then they will find joy amidst struggle. The Christian life is hard, but it is real and rewarding.

May God, the Great Physician and Psychologist, heal us of our bulimia of the soul!

You...You...You...Christian!

2008-03-25T12:37:00.001-07:00

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god_article.php?id=7508

The term Christian is an odd one. So many people understand it in different ways. To some, a Christian is an American. To some, a Christian is a white person. To some, it's only a male name. To others, Christian is a mighty, meaningful, energizing word. But what does it actually mean?

Christian is from the Greek. It means, "follower of Christ." A person who believes in Jesus Christ and follows his teachings is a Christian. On my Facebook page, under my religious views section, I used to have Presbyterian. Some people have Christian. I changed mine to read, "Disciple of the Sovereign King Jesus." I like this better because it describes exactly who I follow, who I study, who I revere, and who I would die for. Jesus. He is my God.

I don't want to be known as "the man who always harped on people about John Calvin" or "the man who always found a way to work 'Presbyterian' into the conversation" or "the annoying guy that fit the typical Christian stereotype." I want to be known as a man who loved and followed Jesus.

So many times we as "Christians"--and I mean that in the real meaning of the term--get caught up in side issues, and we lose people because of issues and not Jesus. Here is an example: One guy says he's a Republican and it is hard for him to understand why other people can embrace the stupid and idiotic views of Democrats (this Republican is one of those abrasive types that offends everyone by his statements). Well, if this Republican gentleman claimed to be a Christian and happened to be talking to a "quiet Democrat", the Republican could have turned the Democrat off to Jesus by being unreasonable in politics, rather than turning him off by the gentle, heart-felt, compassionate, offensive, and convicting gospel of Jesus. In fact, if he wouldn't have turned him off by his unreasonable politics, he may have had a stage to present the real Jesus in his glory; the Democrat may have been saved!

I'm not suggesting that we back down from our views on things. If you want to be Republican or Democrat based on convictions and truth, then so be it. But please, from one Disciple of the Sovereign King Jesus to another, let us attempt to be gentle, gracious, truthful, and winsome. Let us check out attitudes and egos at the door!

When you talk of religions and rules, you are not as accurate to the Scripture as if you talk about a person. Hearing about the real Jesus and what he taught (I'm not suggesting watering anything down...Jesus called people "[children] of hell") is what I want to share with people...not Presbyterianism (even though I consider myself a Presbyterian).

The next time you are with your friends, maybe at the lunch table or chillin' at someones house, ask a friend, "What do you think of Jesus?" Then listen to the response. Then, ask them, "Do you know what the Bible says about Jesus; some of it is pretty radical?" Then, listen well once again. Then ask them, "Would you mind if I would share a little about the Jesus of the Bible that I know personally." And there you have it...entrance into a gospel presentation.

May God give you great strength and clarity to represent Him well by sharing His Jesus regularly!

Here's Jesus, and I Hope You Choke On Him

2008-03-17T05:55:00.001-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

I read a quote today from Paramore's singer Hayley Williams that caught my attention. Hayley said in Rolling Stone, "I try to talk about struggles and imperfections and even questioning your faith at times. I don't have anything figured out that the next kid doesn't. It's the people who shove their faith down people's throats who create the stigma against artists with religious backgrounds." What do some of Hayley's statements mean? Where is she coming from? She is a professing Christian, therefore, I do not want to misrepresent what Hayley meant by her comments. Her intention may be different than the direction I take, so I want to be careful yet thought provoking.

What did Hayley mean by "people who shove their faith down people's throats"? We have to be careful here or else we lose evangelism and sharing our passion with others. The gospel of Jesus Christ is absolute. It fits for Adam, it fits for Abraham, it fits for Origen, it fits for John Calvin, and Jonathan Edwards, and J. Gresham Machen, and you. Jesus is eternally relevant.

Jesus is never wrong. When he says, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me", he is accurate. Everyone who does not bow the knee to Jesus, embrace Jesus by faith, and love Jesus with all their heart, will perish. They will go to hell. Those who lovingly trust, follow, and cherish Jesus till the end will be eternally happy in God. That truth can be hard to swallow for the hard and impenitent heart, but needs to be digested. How can you feed someone the truth and not cram it down their throats so they choke on it?

Paul said to the Colossians, "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." You are not cramming anything down people's throats by lovingly sharing the truth: (1) Your imperfection and sin stand between you and God; (2) God hates sin and you sit under His wrath; (3) You will perish in hell without repentance and faith; (4) There is a way for you to be acquitted, and it is Jesus; (5) Jesus died on the cross for sin; (6) Jesus rose again and conquered death and sin; and (7) faith in Jesus, love for Jesus, trust in Jesus, is the means by which you are saved!

People need the truth, and sharing the truth with others is noble, admirable, loving, and commanded by Jesus. Jesus never said, "Go up to someone and angrily accost them for my sake." Jesus never intended Christians to be mean-spirited, cruel, divisive, and rude people. He did however intend for us to share our faith, to share the truth, to share the "good news" that people can be spared from hell and given new life in Jesus Christ.

If Paul would have thought, "I don't want to cram Jesus down any one's throat, so I will passively tell people...quietly...well, only if they ask me...heck, I'll just show them by my actions", where would we be as Gentiles? Paul vigilantly, yet tenderly and joyfully shared Jesus with the Gentiles. Massive things happened in his ministry. At times Paul seemed to theologically pistol-whip people as well (Corinth).

What I am saying is that we confuse "cramming" with "sharing." We should never cram, we should always share. Because of the relativism of our culture today, many Christians take silence as virtue as they never really share Christ openly and honestly. They fear the response of the world, so they put tape over their mouths or share a "popular gospel" but not the real one.

Our lives should not have a "hint" of Jesus, or even a mere "flavor" of Jesus. Everything that we do should be driven by Jesus. The truth resounds...

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

I hope that we share our faith with others knowing it is a heaven or hell issue. A Christian shares the joy and hope inside them. Someone who doesn't understand the gospel keeps his/her mouth shut because they don't want to offend. May our speech be gracious and seasoned with salt.

WINSOMENESS!

Porn Beats Baseball and Football Once Again

2008-03-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

I am almost finished with an excellent book by Pastor Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA (not to be confused with Rob Bell's Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, MI). Mark is the kind of writer that tells it like it is. When you read him, you will probably laugh many times, as well as wish at times that he would have stated things a little differently, but when you recover from shock you recognize that in his sarcasm is profound truth. Mark is thoroughly Biblical and theological and has an excellent hold on Jesus and his person and work. The book is called Vintage Jesus and I recommend it to all students and parents.

On a side note, not only do I recommend Mark's writing, I recommend that students and parents visit Mars Hill Church's website and investigate the ministry of this church. He is engaging an indie rock, postmodern, youthful, and extremely pagan culture for Christ, and doing it through a Reformed ministry. Mark's church is reaching out through media and relevant mediums with the supremely relevant Scripture of God. Check it out: http://www.marshillchurch.org/.

In chapter 9 entitled "Why Should We Worship Jesus" on page 169-170 Mark comments on one of the most staggering statistics I think I've ever heard. He writes, "Americans spend more money each year on pornography than country music, rock music, jazz music, classical music and ballet combined. Additionally, some researches have even said that we spend more money on pornography than we do on professional baseball, basketball, and football combined. Clearly perversion is officially America's favorite past time and a $10 billion business." Porn just defeated the great American past time of Baseball!

This statistic shows us something about American culture, something about youth culture, that should clue us in as the Church. We must vigilantly attack sexual perversion and infidelity with everything we have, instead of stamping our approval on it by supporting it. If you refer back to my blog article on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2007 entitled "Savoring and Treasuring Christ Through Victory Over Porn" you will read,

"The largest consumer group of Internet pornography, according to familysafemedia.com is 12-17 years of age. It is reported that 80% of 15-17 year olds have had multiple "hard-core" exposures."

Our teenagers at NPC are most definitely choosing pornography. They do this with their parents blessing as well. "How?" you may ask. Their parents have no blocks on the computer. This enables and encourages teenagers to surf for pornography or to be innocently exposed. Kristina and I have a system where she has the password...I don't.

The statistic that Mark uses tells us that for many people, probably for many youth, probably for youth in our church, seeing sexually explicit material is more fun and alluring than a no-hitter or the Super Bowl. Which then exposes the fact that porn is more important than Jesus. And that is where porn becomes not merely a point of soul wrestling with sin, but a heaven and hell issue. Porn can be a god. Porn is a god. Porn is an idol.

There are many young men and women who have a vibrant faith in Jesus Christ and battle with porn and keeping their eyes, hearts, and mind Christlike and pure. There is forgiveness in Christ. Repentance and faith. Repentance and faith.

Several things to think about:

(1) What movies are you watching (as a family)? Have you seen Superbad? Have you seen 300? Are you in the habit of watching movies that have sexually explicit material in them? Are you able to look at the rating, read that it has sexual content, and say no?

(2) What websites do you visit? How much time do you waste on the computer looking at meaningless sites? How much sexual content do you view on the computer? Do you have good, reliable blockers?

(3) What magazines can you find in your home? JCPenny catalogs are pornographic. If your child...or you...wanted to view sexual material, could they/you find it in your home?

(4) Does the music you listen to "get you going"?

(5) What television shows do you watch?

(6) Do you know Biblically and spiritually WHY your heart pulses and surges for sexually explicit material?

Once again, Paul tells Timothy to study himself and the teaching. Have you unpacked the reason why your heart may appreciate porn more than Christ? Have you unpacked why baseball, basketball, or even football is so exciting and God seems boring? Do it. Unpack it. Ask yourself hard questions, and then retreat in faith to Jesus.

Holy Cats That's a Long Time

2008-03-04T08:19:00.001-08:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

How many times have you broken up with a boyfriend or a girlfriend? Teenage "love" can be so fickle, right? You look around at all kinds of dating relationships in High School and how many stand the test of time? Few. Why is this? I think the answer has a lot to do with what the relationship is built upon. It's quite simple. Either the relationship is built upon Christ or it is not. There is no middle ground. One or the other.

I would say that most teenage relationships are built upon physical intimacy rather than godly friendship. What I mean by godly friendship is Christ at the center of the friendship. This means that conversations are about life, dreams, faith, salvation, and how Jesus impacts the world. How Jesus influences music. How Jesus influences life and freedom. Godly relationships are fun, energetic, and consumed with Christ and getting to know the other person for who they are, not for what they give out. Too often teenagers see "love" as physical connection, and miss entirely the spiritual connection they have with friends. A young man and a young woman can be in a great relationship when it centers upon Christ and spiritual growth and pays little to no attention to physical intimacy. Marriage is the place to explore physical intimacy; dating is a place to explore the expanses of the other person's heart and mind. There is great value in investigating the character and integrity of other people.

There was an incredible article posted on StarTribune.com about a couple that has been married for 83 years. That is endurance. I don't know whether they have a Christ-centered relationship or not, but what I do know is that they are a living example of how marriage can endure. Marriage is not like a fickle teenage relationship; it is a marathon of love, service, giving, and selflessness. Marriage is for the strong. Marriage is for heroes. Marriage is for those willing to find joy in Christlike love and service for a lifetime.

I love being married to Kristina. I hope that other young men look at my life and say, "I want what he has." The life of the conventional bachelor, living for himself and living for sex, is empty and sad. Look at Clarence and Mayme in awe and ask, "How do I endure" and "Is my relationship with Christ at the point where I can see people for who they really are"? Check this out:

http://www.startribune.com/local/east/15724647.html

Jeremiah and My Life Ambition

2008-02-26T07:31:00.000-08:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

On February 21, 2008 at 2:10 pm my little son was born. As a father, I cannot explain the entire experience or even begin to capture the miracle of life through words. I was with my dear wife through the entire process, and I was filled with wonder and amazement. One, my wife is extremely strong and filled with endurance. Two, the physiological process of childbirth in all of its stunning complexity will astonish and astound the mind and heart. I shed tears at the birth of my baby boy.

Now my role as a father is real. It is hear and alive. I cannot run from it. I am now called to train my little man into a giant man of faith. The spiritual progress of my child is certainly in God’s mighty, sovereign hands, yet it is in my hands; and I love the challenge and responsibility.

Paul was Timothy’s spiritual father. Paul mentored this young protégé and invested much time into him. Then, in a letter to his dear friend and spiritual child, Paul wrote these intriguing and inspiring words: “…from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings (2 Timothy 3:15).” What drove Timothy to be a pastor? What filled his mind with awe and wonder toward God? How was Timothy able to cherish and experience God? It was the Biblical and theological training he received as a child.

No father in his right mind would say he is or will be perfect. Every earthly father falls short. Yet, the responsibility facing me is so real it could be scary if I allowed it to be. Jeremiah’s spiritual growth has a lot to do with me as his father. I love my son, and I want to see him flourish and amaze others. Yet the most profound truth and reality that I want my dear son to grasp is Jesus as the sovereign King of the universe. I want my son to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” I want my son to savor and treasure Christ above all things; and it is my destiny to lead him in this lifelong pursuit and adventure.

I would give my life for my son; so I shall. I will give my life to carrying out what Paul reminded Timothy of; knowing the Scripture from his childhood. Oh, dear parents, should we not fully own the spiritual lives of our children? Should we give them every opportunity to excel at sports, school, extracurricular activities, yet deprive them of the very sustenance of their souls? Our children’s souls were not given to pastors, Student Ministry Directors, or Sunday School teachers, they were given to parents. I want to keep heaven and hell in full and vivid reality in my heart. My son’s soul is the most valuable aspect of him, and not only valuable, but eternal. Soccer is not eternal. College is not eternal.

Therefore, I will make it my life ambition to reveal the Jesus I know, the Jesus of Scripture, the Jesus of eternity, the God-man Jesus to my son through the Scripture. All parents must teach and train their children in the “sacred writings.” Our job is not to talk about Jesus every day, but to teach Jesus through propositional truth and words; namely the Bible.

On the day Jeremiah was born I began to read him the book of Jeremiah. I pray that God will sustain and stoke the passion in my heart for teaching my son the Word of God and that my consistency and energy will grow even more intense as I train my son throughout his life. I will fail every day in fact, yet God’s grace is the embers of the fire. I have been burnt by the flames of God’s grace and as my fire for Christ simmers and seethes, the promises of God indicate that my children will indeed be holy (1 Corinthians 7:14). I pray that my little Jeremiah will grow to see the supreme value of Jesus Christ and will give his life to following the radical Jesus. I hope he sees his father doing the same.

I Want to Kill Cliques!

2008-02-18T13:34:00.000-08:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

I don't like cliques very much. They isolate people. I have realized that we have a great power, namely to include other people. Obviously there are people that we gravitate towards, people that we immediately like and get along with. For each person this will probably be different. There are those people that just about everyone likes. There are also those people that just about everyone dislikes.

So, it is a given that we will have our closest friends, what Anne from Anne of Green Gables calls a "kindred spirit." These friendships are awesome, necessary, healthy, and very much fun. Think about it, you create so many inside jokes with each other there are about as many jokes as there are situations. It is legitimately fun.

However, do we ever think about the downside to manifesting our "kindred spirit" relationships in groups? When we are all about ourselves or one other person in the midst of a group, we tend to isolate other people. In a group setting, the people who thrive the most, the people who are the most popular, the people who have longevity in relationships are usually those who can include everyone, and make every person in the group have a great time.

I wonder if Jesus isolated people? I'm sure that when crowds were around Jesus they were struck with his uncanny ability to include people and point them to truth. When people were with Jesus they were at their best; at the feet of a true King. Are other people at their best with you? Do you have the ability to see through your comfort in a group and to reach out to include everyone?

I have found in my life that I am filled with joy when everyone has a good time. I don't like to be left out, and I don't like when other people are left out. I want to be the type of person that talks with everyone and encourages everyone. Cliques are gigantic social walls that isolate people and destroy optimal opportunities to get to know other people and to radically increase your friend base. By engaging in cliques, you ultimately limit your own joy and ability to influence other people.

In college, I had "written off" one of my classmates, but when we went on a missions trip together, I found him to be a great guy and quite fun to be with. I was wrong because of my preconceived notions. It took a trip together to open my eyes.

Do you encourage cliques? Are you a trend setter or a follower? The trend setters and influential people of the world will see the value in others and search to find common bonds with many different people from many different walks of life. I challenge you to break the clique and help me destroy them in the world! What do you think?

Rob Bell and His Dark Trampoline

2008-02-13T05:32:00.000-08:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

I was sitting at a John Piper conference when I heard it. Mark Driscoll, a young, Reformed, energetic, and at times offensive pastor was speaking on The Supremacy of Christ and the Church in a Postmodern World, and he quoted Rob Bell. Immediately I was thinking. Immediately I was reacting. Immediately I agreed with Mark Driscoll that Rob Bell had advocated some pretty bad theology.

What I had known about Rob up until this point was creativity, winsomeness, relevance, and a comtemporary voice. What I hadn't known a lot about was his thinking and theology. Since that conference on Postmodernism I have researched Rob's thinking and theology more through his own material (i.e. Velvet Elvis, article in Relevant Magazine, and the Nooma Videos) in order to speak intellegently about his work. I felt that if I am to critique his thinking and theology I should have at least been familiar with his work. So I read him.

I found that much of Rob's work is creative, winsome, relevant, and contemporary, but some of his work stands against Scripture and solid doctrine, and is blasphemous. This is a bold statement knowing that Rob loves to talk about Jesus, and that some of my friends love Rob's work, own his videos (NPCSM even owns some of his videos), and churches use his DVDs in their worship services (even NPC; Bob Shull and I spoke about this and when Bob showed the DVD Kickball in the service, he put a disclaimer out there that he may not stand for everything that Rob teaches...I appreciated the disclaimer). But perhaps my friends and the evangelical church today was like me prior to reading Rob; caught in the creativity and seemingly Biblical material.

When I read Velvet Elvis I was disappointed when reading several portions, and even the subtitle: Repainting the Christian Faith. It may appear harsh to read into titles, but words have meaning. Does the Christian faith need to be repainted? No. We do not "repaint" centuries of research into Greek, Hebrew, history, etc. to arrive where we are today. We should not call into question things like the virgin birth, the divinity of Christ, the substitutionary, atoning work of Jesus on the cross, or any essentials of true Christian faith. And even more importantly, we need not reinvent or repaint what the the Spirit has done through and revealed in our research.

Even though many sections of Velvit Elvis were theologically frightening, the most shocking section of the book was probably on page 24. Rob writes:

"It hit me while I was watching that for him faith isn't a trampoline; it's a wall of bricks. Each of the core doctrines for him is like an individual brick that stacks on top of the others. If you pull one out, the whole wall starts to crumble. It appears quite strong and rigid, but if you begin to rethink or discuss even one brick, the whole thing is in danger. Like he said, no six-day creation equals no cross. Remove one, and the whole wall wobbles."

Now, this is probably not enough to be blasphemous. I guess it needs to be clarified. What does Rob mean? If he means credo-baptism vs. pado-baptism then he may be right. Many orthodox, dedicated, strong theologians disagree on baptism (i.e. John MacArthur and John Piper vs. R.C. Sproul and Sinclair Ferguson), yet their faith as well as their Christo-centric and faithful ministry stand. So what example does Rob give in addition to creation? He continues:

"What if tomorrow someone digs up definitive proof that Jesus had a real, earthly, biological father named Larry, and archaeologists find Larry's tomb and do DNA samples and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the virgin birth was really just a bit of mythologizing the Gospel writers threw in to appeal to the followers of the Mithra and Dionysian religious cults that were hugely popular at the time of Jesus, whose gods had virgin births? But what if as you study the origin of the word virgin, you discover that the word virgin in the gospel of Matthew actually comes from the book of Isaiah, and then you find out that in the Hebrew language at that time, the word virgin could mean several things. And what if you discover that in the first century being 'born of a virgin' also referred to a child whose mother became pregnant the first time she had intercourse?"

This is nothing short of blasphemy. Why even suggest this? There is absolutely nothing positive that can come from casting doubt on the inerrancy of the Bible, good hermeneutics, the integrity of the apostles, the virgin birth, Christ's divinity, Mary's faithfulness to God, etc. We do not "rethink" or "reexamine" or cast doubt on the doctrine of Christ's divinity; we rather study like heaven to understand why it is true. Rob continues:

"What if that spring was seriously questioned? Could a person keep jumping? Could a person still love God? Could you still be a Christian? Is the way of Jesus still the best possible way to live? Or does the whole thing fall apart?"

If you question the virgin birth, you question Jesus. If you believe that Larry and Mary were one in marriage and that Jesus had an earthly father, you question the integrity of God's Word, the integrity of God Himself, and the integrity of Jesus. In answer to Rob's questions, no a person could not keep jumping on the trampoline of truth faith. No, a person could not still love God if they don't love the true Jesus of the virgin birth. No, a person could not still be a Christian by denying Christ's divinity. And yes, the entire Christian faith would crumble without the virgin birth. Cast that one doctrine out, and you no longer have the Biblical Jesus. You have a spurious Jesus with a spurious gospel! Rob's trampoline is a very dark trampoline.

I think Rob Bell is very artistic, appealing, captivating, and intellegent. I love the art of the Nooma DVDs, and I even like the design of his books. I think that his simple but compelling presentation on his Everything is Spiritual tour is well done in terms of engaging the audience. I even think that some of what Rob says is spot on. However, I believe that some major thoughts and theologies that Rob Bell teaches and implies are very dangerous, very counter-Biblical, and very blasphemous.

Dear Lord Jesus, may the church not be caught up in innovation or creativity, but faithfulness to You through their study and discernment of the Word of God. May Your Spirit guide us into all truth and may we not be swayed by any new form of doctrine. We want old. We want eternal. We want truth. In Christ's name. Amen [or true].

Our Students are Reaching Out!

2008-02-04T08:48:00.000-08:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

I have seen something in our youth group that has lifted my heart. This year our students of NPC have invited their friends to 24Seven, Target, and SM activities. In the past, this has not been the norm, but this year, several students have stepped up to the plate and invited their friends. I think there are students who are even inviting their friends, getting turned down, and still continue to invite them! This is not a failure, but a great success.

I love our students of NPC very much, and Kristina and I have enjoyed our time spent with these wonderful young people. We have been spiritually challenged, encouraged, exhorted, and matured. I have seen passion, insight, wisdom, energy, laughter, pain, concern, etc. in our students, and I count it a privilege to struggle alongside of them.

Our Leadership Team has been praying for revival and spiritual awakening for a while, and I think in small ways God is answering our prayers. I believe students are encountering God within our SM and Jesus has been exalted; namely through our students taking initiative to invite their friends.

ALL friends are always welcome, but I must say I am particularly interested in those who do not know Jesus Christ. We are trying to create a safe, loving, gracious, gentle, and fun environment for students to come, get to know some new people, and hear about the great King Jesus. This has happened. Here are several reasons why it is imperitive for our NPC students to invite their non-Christian friends:

Jesus Loves:

Mark 10:21, "And Jesus, looking at him, loved him..." In this passage, Jesus offers this man eternal life. He asks this man to sell all that he had in order to follow him. Jesus loved this man, even though the man rejected him. Students need to invite their friends to hear the gospel because Jesus loves.

Jesus Saves:

John 3:17, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." There is only one way that a human soul will not perish; Jesus. The world will be saved through Jesus or it will not be saved at all. Therefore, our friends who do not know Jesus, who come and hear about Jesus in the context of NPC Student Ministry and NPC, may be saved! One invitation to 24Seven or Target may mean a soul sprung from the clutches of hell into the embrace of God-filled joy and delight. What environment is safer for a student to hear about Jesus Christ and to ask deeply difficult questions than in a loving group of other students wrestling with the same stuff? Students need to invite their friends to hear the gospel because Jesus saves.

Jesus Unites:

Ephesians 4:1-3, "I...urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Within the community of those who believe in Jesus there is great unity, love, and peace. That means, students in Christ don't have cliques, they have unity. Students in Christ love each other, and they have peace with each other. Inviting friends to youth group is inviting friends to a loving, unified body of young believers. When they believe, they join the body of Christ. Students need to invite their friends to hear the gospel because Jesus unites.

Jesus Grows:

Ephesians 4:15, "...speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ." Truth grows people. By inviting your friends to church, you are exposing them to truth and to an opportunity for them to grow up into Christ. If the Spirit of God chooses to work through you, your friend may spiritually grow like they never have before. Students need to invite their friends to hear the gospel because Jesus grows.

Jesus Leads:

Romans 2:4, "...God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance." The Spirit of Christ leads people into the kindness and favor of God. We are the means that God uses to bring people to repentance. God, in His kindness, draws people to Himself; He draws them to repentance and faith. You may see one of your friends do a complete 180! At one moment, they are so blind to their sin, and the next moment their heart is soft and repentant. That is Christ leading your friend. Students need to invite their friends to hear the gospel because Jesus leads.

How does the Church of Jesus Christ grow? It grows by (1) someone hearing the gospel; (2) someone repenting and believing; (3) someone being baptized; (4) someone continuing to grow in spiritual maturity in the context of other believers through being taught; and (5) someone endures spiritually until the end by God's grace.

Our youth group at NPC will never grow spiritually and numerically if students aren't passionate about sharing Christ with their friends. One way to share Christ with your friends is to invite them to a NPCSM activity. However, possibly a larger and more real way is to share Christ directly with your friends. Talk about God. Explain how someone can be saved. Introduce your friend to Jesus! One student on fire for Christ, equipped with the gospel, could spark a REVOLUTION in a school because Jesus loves, Jesus saves, Jesus unites, Jesus grows, and Jesus leads.

I pray that our students will "savor and treasure Christ above all things" in order for them to introduce their friends to the superior pleasure and treasure of life; Jesus. I hope our students of NPC continue to desire to see their friends know Jesus intimately.

I'm proud of you guys!

Growing Pains of Student Leadership at NPC

2008-01-30T06:14:00.000-08:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

I feel that the students of NPC need a further explanation of our Student Leader program (i.e. Trekkers, Flight 56, Target, and 24Seven).

The Student Leader program at NPC is actually in its infancy stage of life. In the past, we have had student leaders, but there was little form and intentionality to the program. The training for being a student leader was next to nothing. Therefore, Kim, Deb, and I have tried very hard to increase the effectiveness of this ministry opportunity to better train, equip, lead, and help students maximize their service for Christ and others. This is why we have three short trainings and one all-nighter training, in order to feed into students as they lead their respective ministries.

That being said, the program is a baby. It spits up. It vomits. It messes its pants. What I mean is that it is not perfect, and needs to grow in maturity. As this 2007-2008 year started, we desired to try something different and NEW; peer leadership at the 24Seven level. Our desire was to be much more intentional about the input from students (similar to Student Council at school) as well as giving students "hands on" opportunities to serve and lead their fellow students. We were looking for 11th or 12th graders to fill these four spots. We did not open it for more people (though any 11th and 12th grader could apply) for various reasons.

I had asked several specific students, based on demonstrated leadership skills and interests, to participate as 24Seven leaders and to submit their applications, along with the other students. My intent was to make sure we had good, strong student leaders in place to help SM be "in touch" with students' ideas and desires. We also welcome EVERY student to offer their insight, wisdom, ideas, and suggestions to better the ministry by writing e-mails or talking to any SMLT member. We wanted to give you as students ownership of your ministry!

That being said, all 11th and 12th graders were and are welcome to apply, and one current 24Seven leader was not "recruited" by me, applied, and is now a leader.

Joshua Shull, Caroline Owen, Steve Chalker, and Kristen Yealy are all current 24Seven student leaders (we have a boat-load more in Trekkers, Flight 56, and Target). They are not necessarily better Christians, more in tune with God, more mature, etc. They are willing to serve. Even though I recruited three of these leaders (we should have better communicated that ALL students could apply), they all showed initiative to fill out the application, apply, and commit to feeding into the ministry. Again, all 11th and 12th grade students were and are welcome to do the same.

Their roll is to be a "student presence" at the Student Ministry Leadership Team (SMLT) meetings and to help the ministry grow and flourish. They stand for ideas. They stand for serving. They represent students. They are not better than every other student. As you would probably agree, it would not be good to have 38 students on the SMLT!

We also decided to limit the number of spots available (we eventually threw this out and took everyone who submitted applications). In the future, we will not limit the spots. What we want to do is increase the commitment, and anyone who commits fully to the program can help; we will find a spot for them. And, we would like to increase the amount of service opportunities for students to feed into.

If this coming Spring, seven students want to feed into 24Seven as leaders, we will welcome that. I may invite certain students to apply, but ALL students are free to submit an application. That being said, the standard will also go up for next year. Those who commit will have to be fully committed. So, as the boarders of the SMLT broaden, the responsibility and commitment will also broaden.

The Student Leadership program has been created to give God glory, though it is not perfect and we need to grow. We know that Student Ministry must grow here at NPC, and we desire to see students take ownership of their ministry to other students. Our intent was not to create another clique, our intent was to destroy cliques. Our intent was not to be divisive, but to be unifying. Our intent was to strengthen our ministry to students by better involving students.

If you felt that you were excluded, passed over, or unvalued, I apologize for how the SMLT may have been communicated. We could have been more clear that ALL students were welcome to apply, if they were of the appropriate age. We welcome ALL STUDENTS to offer their input to any of the SMLT and we will discuss and consider your ideas. Everyone is valued.

If you have a heart to be on the SMLT to better reach out to students, would you please call me in the office (412-367-5000 x233)? I would love to talk with you about how to better serve Christ.

If you have a desire to serve Christ by serving your fellow students, reaching out in Christ's name to high school students, and serving Christ, please consider applying this Spring for our Student Leader program: Trekkers, Target, and 24Seven? We need YOUR help!

Religion to J.K. Rowlings

2008-01-28T05:48:00.000-08:00

by Jonathan Shirk

Harry Potter has been an immense phenomenon. The visionary J.K. Rowling has written these seven captivating, creative books that have traveled the world and have been translated into the tongues of men. There has been a backlash from part of the Christian community, and the other part has gladly indulged in the life and adventure of Harry Potter. Even the Pope had comments, claiming J.K. Rowling's books had "subtle seductions" that might "distort Christianity in the soul." I am not going to follow in the Pope's footsteps; I haven't read the books, and therefore I won't make a judgment on them. I did however find J.K. Rowling's religious comments from an article in Time interesting.

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/personoftheyear/article/0,28804,1690753_1695388_1695436,00.html

Nancy Gibbs commented in her article in Time, "After six books with no mention of God or Scripture, in the last book Harry discovers on his parents' graves a Bible verse that, Rowling says, is the theme for the entire series. It's a passage from I Corinthians in which Paul discusses Jesus' Resurrection: 'The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.'"

The text that Rowling is referring to is 1 Corinthians 15, specifically verse 26. Paul leads up to verse 26 with a wonderful validation and proof of the resurrection as well as an application of Christ's resurrection to the sinner. Christ's absolutely certain resurrection is the redemption that humanity needs. Those that have faith in Christ die with him in his crucifixion and raise with him to new life in his resurrection. Then, Paul brings it home with the supremacy of Christ:

"For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For 'God has put all things in subjection under his feet.'"

Christ reigns supremely over all things. There is no co-regent or co-sovereign, there is only Christ. All other men and gods are inferior to Christ the King. All earthly powers are beneath his feet. Those antagonistic forces will be destroyed, for "God has put all things in subjection under his feet." Buddha, Joseph Smith, and Muhammad all grovel in the dirt beneath the precious feet of Jesus Christ. There is no other god!

Rowling is a regular church attender, and as a child used to attend church alone. Faith has been magnetizing for Rowling. She said, “No one in my family was a believer. But I was very drawn to faith, even while doubting....I certainly had this need for something that I wasn’t getting at home, so I was the one who went out looking for religion [italics added].”

One of Rowling's religious defenders called her books the "greatest evangelistic opportunity the church has ever missed." It may or may not be. But is Rowling correct in how she personally thinks through her faith? She stated that her books "have been lauded and taken into pulpit, and most interesting and satisfying for me, it's been by several different faiths." Nancy Gibbs reports, "The values in the books, [Rowling] observes, are by no means exclusively Christian, and she is wary of appearing to promote one faith over another rather than inviting people to explore and struggle with the hard questions."

Rowling said, “I did not set out to convert anyone to Christianity. I wasn’t trying to do what C.S. Lewis did. It is perfectly possible to live a very moral life without a belief in God, and I think it’s perfectly possible to live a life peppered with ill-doing and believe in God.” She is very right! You can live a moral life apart from Christ, yet that life would not count for anything. A moral life lived apart from Christ, a religious life, will end is destruction. The Christ-less, moral, religious person will perish without the King. Rowling's mantra is one of tolerance as she commented, "I'm opposed to fundamentalism in any form, and that includes in my own religion."

Life is not about religion. Life is about the supreme King Jesus. You either bow the knee to Jesus in humility and joy for your joy now, or perish. Fundamentalism embraces specific doctrinal statements about the infallible, inerrant Word of God that are necessary for your salvation and your happiness in God. Tolerance is the empty and joyless post-modern cry. You do not have Christianity without true, solid, absolute, uncompromisable, God-breathed propositions about God that you embrace by faith, exclusively.

Whether you love Harry Potter or think he is the devil, the creative genius behind Potter is certainly confused about her own "faith." But is she really any different than the post-modern "Christianity" that we see permeating so many churches today? May God spark a revival and spiritual awakening in the hearts of many to stand firm upon the Word of God and NEVER compromise the truth through what our world calls tolerance.

John 14:6, "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

A Dream for the Glory of Christ Alone

2008-01-21T06:18:00.000-08:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Today is the recognized national holiday to honor the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His most notable phrase was, "I have a dream", which was delivered on August 28, 1963 in Washing D.C. Dr. King was a dynamic speaker and had some wonderful prose within the "I Have a Dream" speech. He stood for liberty, freedom, justice, equality, peace, and love. He fought with power and principles rather than fists and firearms.

At one point during his speech, on the steps of D.C.'s Lincoln Memorial, Dr. King stated, "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.'" Our nation does not perfectly hold to its own creed of equality. There is a lot of work to be done. And there is an underlying issue that makes Dr. King's insightful perception true. Our United States of America, the same America that Dr. King lived in, does not perfectly hold to the chief and capital creed of humanity, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

In our nation of the United States of America there is a radical cry and desperate need for true liberty and freedom; namely the liberty and freedom of the human soul from sin and death. The paramount problem within America is not racism and bigotry, nor abortion or murder, nor drugs or alcohol, nor the oppressed or poverty. The paramount problem within America is the slavery of the will to sin and death, prohibiting Americans from carrying out the unparalleled creed of "all things for the glory of God alone." The bondage of the soul is the brutal slavery that must be abolished by the sovereign King Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit through the hands of disciples of Christ in the hearts of human beings. The United States of America needs a revolution. America needs a reforming, not primarily in government, social structures, etc. but in the heart. The very heart of America must change.

As Christians, our first and foremost priority in this country should be to bask in and broadcast the fame and glory of Jesus Christ clearly and powerfully. We are the voice. We are the speakers. We are the means which God has elected to bring about dynamic change within the hearts of our fellow Americans. We are revolutionaries. We are missionaries.

I pray that our dream will not stop merely at political, economical, and social egalitarianism, but rather political, economical, and social egalitarianism as it results from the redemption of the soul in Jesus Christ. Egalitarianism without Biblical redemption is a loss. Egalitarianism resulting from a soul change in Christ is a win. All this to say that God's glory will be seen in hearts prior to it being seen in politics, economics, or society.

I also have a dream. Mine is slightly different than Dr. Kings. My dream is that my life will be spent broadcasting the fame, power, glory, majesty, perfection, sovereignty, supremacy, splendor, compassion, grace, and love of Jesus Christ in faithfulness and endurance. My dream is that North Park Church Student Ministry will be revolutionized through the teaching and preaching of God's Word. My dream is that North Park Church will awaken spiritually to the striking work of the Holy Spirit. My dream is that Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, America, and the world will be changed by the grace and peace of God as it is manifested in the person and work of Jesus Christ. My dream is that God's glory will be the prerogative of my life, so that I may be one small instrument of change in politics, economics, and society.

God is continuing to carry out Dr. King's dream as racism and bigotry decrease and equality and liberty increase. God is realizing Dr. King's dream, and I believe he is realizing mine as well. May it be so by the powerful hand of our mighty God!

Possible Devotionals for Teens

2008-01-14T12:10:00.000-08:00

Recommendations from CCO (Coalition for Christian Outreach):

Sr. High:

Love This: Leaning to Make it a Way of Life, Not Just a Word by Andy Braner

Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ by Dallas Willard and Randy Frazee

Stories for the Extreme Teens Hearts compiled by Alice Gray

Devotions for the Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton

My Time with God for Students

What's a Girl to Do? Finding Faith in Everyday Life by Dristi Holl

Burn this Book: Ignite a New Life with God by Garth Heckman

Middle School:

Live Like a Jesus Freak: Spend Today as If It Were Your Last by DC Talk

Dirty Faith: Becoming the Hands and Feet of Jesus by Audio Adrenaline

My Faith by Kurt Johnston & Mark Oestreicher

2:52 Devotions to Take You Deeper by Ed Strauss

Burn This Book: Ignite a New Life With God by Garth Heckman

How to Be Your Own Selfish Pig by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay

None of these devotionals have been reviewed by NPCSM. The content of them may not represent the views or theology of NPCSM. Investigate them on your own and may the Spirit guide you. Check these two sites for these titles:

http://www.amazon.com/
http://www.christianbooks.com/

The Roller Coaster of My Heart

2008-01-07T05:44:00.000-08:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

I liken my heart and emotions to a roller coaster. There are times when I am ascending in the pure joy of Christ in an exhilarating passion for God. There are also times when my heart plummets, screaming for something more, knowing that I am insecure, unable, arrogant, empty, and worthless. Why do I feel like this? I know the truth about who I am. I am Christ's! I am redeemed! I am happy in God! I am free! But for some reason, I at times struggle with joy. I at times struggle with a moderate depression. I don't mean "depression" in a clinical way, or how modern day psychology has abused the term, I just mean "the condition of feeling sad or despondent" (despondent may be too strong of a word).

It's an odd thing as well. I tend to feel this way after I have taught the Scriptures somewhere. I frequently feel this way after 24Seven on Sunday evenings and after other speaking venues. After a wonderful evening with students and leaders, an evening of fun, connection, and spiritual encouragement, I tend to feel ineffective and discouraged. Why? I know God has given me specific gifts. I trust God uses me in small ways. I know God is at work. What is wrong with me?

I take Paul's word to young Timothy seriously for my life. "Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers." I must study my own heart regularly, for by so doing, I will evaluate, expose, understand, and grow the depths of my heart. God will convict me and use the means of my own introspection to identify idolatry of my heart.

I think my discouragement and joylessness is linked to two things. Firstly, it is linked to my own pride and arrogance. After I have taught something, I expect people to laud my insight and wisdom (this is dangerous to confess, because then people may think you never need or deserve any encouragement...I like to be encouraged, and Jesus tells us to encourage one another). I even expect to see God yield immediate results from my preaching/teaching. God does not have to yield immediate, noticeable results. He has no obligation to me. Then, if I don't see measurable yield from my efforts, I grow quickly discouraged. This is dangerous because God can and does work mightily in subtle ways. So, what brings me sadness is an unproductive, ungodly, unholy desire to see myself glorified in immediate, noticeable results.

God is interested in me taking joy in Him and trusting His promises, namely "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:10-11)." God will use me in any way that He sees fit.

Secondly, I hit these roller coaster lows because I value other things more than God. If Christ was valued in my heart above my wife, my coming child, my house, my ministry, my gifts, my ability to see immediate, noticeable fruit from my preaching/teaching, then I would have withstanding, strong, passionate, never-waning joy in Christ. My heart is weak. My faith is weak. I want to see my faith burst forth with passionate joy and resilience. I guess I still matter too much to me, and God still matters too little to me. This is exactly what Paul says in Romans 7:15, "I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate."

Pride, arrogance, and valuing God too little are soul killers. They murder my joy. They murder your joy. There is hope in the midst of our struggle. "In [God's] presence there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11)." "O, LORD, in your strength the king rejoices...you make him glad with the joy of your presence (Psalm 21:1, 6)." "Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God (Psalm 43:4)."

"May you be strengthened with all power,

according to his glorious might,

for all endurance and patience with joy,

giving thanks to the Father,

who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness

and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,

in whom we have redemption,

the forgiveness of sins."

Colossians 1:11-14

The sooner I retreat to Christ, to the cross, to the resurrection, to the ascension, to His power, to His glorious might, to the truth that He qualified me to share in the inheritance of the saints, that He has delivered me from darkness and given me the kingdom of Christ, that I am redeemed and forgiven, the sooner I will have radical joy in God. I must take my eyes off myself and fix them on Jesus, who founded my faith and will finish it!

The practicality of this is clear: every time I struggle with discouragement, depression, or sadness, I should flee to Jesus and trust Him when He says,

"For as a young man marries a young woman,

so shall your sons marry you,

and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,

so shall your God rejoice over you.

Isaiah 62:5

"For you are a people holy to the LORD your God,

and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession,

out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth."

Deuteronomy 14:2

Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5yJGFKYAFo

Have Your Parents Dropped the Spiritual Ball?

2007-12-26T05:17:00.000-08:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

As shocking as this may sound, I believe some children have more profound insights into spiritual development than their parents. This is not meant to disrespect parents and their God-given role as spiritual leaders of their children, but rather an observation.

I was told by one pastor's kid (and I know a lot of them...I think four of a total of eight guys in my sophomore suite at GCC were PKs) that no one had ever asked him how he was doing spiritually. He was over the age of 20 when he said that. Another PK told me that they didn't see spiritual leadership in their father at home. Another one told me that they were not taught practically how to grow spiritually at home.

Now, if these are our pastors' children, pastors who know the Word of God, know the power of God, spend their time studying both, have been given a special calling to teach and preach the Word, I assume that many "lay parents" are struggling in teaching and supporting their children's spiritual growth.

What may be surprising is that the children want to be shown practically how to grow spiritually, but they want to be shown by watching it modeled and not just preached at them. I believe so strongly that parents must model spiritual growth for their children from infancy until their children leave the home. Many parents have already recognized that they have dropped the ball spiritually for their children. The question is, is it too late to engage? The answer is simple: no.

The answer to this spiritual epidemic is not complex, but it is hard. Repentance and faith. Why couldn't you as a parent call a family meeting, gather together around a meal, and after the meal explain to your family that there is something extremely important that you need to communicate? What if you confessed to your family that you have been a poor spiritual leader, and you let them hear you confess it to God? Then, in faith, what if you showed them how you turn to Christ and told them how you desire to model Christ in your home? You could then lay out specific things that you would do to "upgrade" the spirituality and holiness of your family.

Students, my advice to you is "Don't wait for your parents." What I mean by this is, you may be a dynamic Christian that is growing in the Word and prayer and your parent(s) are not at all excited about God. If you wait for them, you may never grow. Your faith is your own! You will be accountable to God for YOU, not them. So, the response to your parents is simple; forgive them for being poor spiritual leaders (if they have been) and do the following two things vigorously: (1) Keep your nose in the Word of God; and (2) Pray with fervor.

God is so good and gracious, and in our failures and imperfections He displays His wondrous redemption and love. It is NEVER too late to engage your mind and heart with the gospel (death and Christ's return are obviously not included in NEVER). I pray that our families are Biblically sound, wise, discerning, humble, spiritual, joyful, loving, socially aware, engaged in the church, and reaching out to others.

Jeremiah, Watch Your Dad

2007-12-13T05:50:00.001-08:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Kristina and I are excitedly awaiting the arrival of our "little man" Jeremiah. The doctors are predicting he will be born on February 16, however God will determine if the doctors are correct. God has been extremely faithful in Kristina's pregnancy. After our miscarriage earlier in the year, it is an immense blessing to be enjoying our little son even now.

Being a father is a large responsibility and a new task that I am excited for. This little guy is going to watch his father over the duration of his life, and he will be influenced for better and for worse (maybe he'll have the strength to play golf without swearing). As I father my son, I want to be like the apostle Paul.

Paul wrote to the church of Corinth, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." Do you realize what confidence in Christ Paul would have had to say this? This guy was a giant of the faith! He is pleading with the Corinthians to watch his actions, to listen closely to what he says, to see his theology worked out practically in his life. In other words, Paul is saying, "I want you to study my life. Watch me closely. Watch when I weep. Watch when I judge. Watch when I extend grace. Watch how I talk to Jews and Gentiles. Watch closely and do as I do. But, don't do anything that does not exalt our King Jesus."

I am committing to training my son to watch me. I believe all fathers should be at the point to coach their sons, "Watch me son! As I exemplify Christ, I want you to exemplify me, because it is not me that you emulate, but Christ." My son will come into the world needing to be shown Jesus Christ. My son is counting on me to reveal to him the splendor, majesty, magnificence, beauty, wonder, and awe of God, and I can do this by activating my theology in my every day life. I can live justification by faith by showing my son my repentance and faith, by struggling openly, and by being real. I can show my son Jeremiah sanctification by faith through talking about the victories that the great King Jesus claimed in my heart. I can show my son the doctrines of grace by forgiving Kristina and laying down my life for her. My son needs me to reveal to him the glory of God through my life, and because of that, I say, "Jeremiah, my precious son, watch me, and do as I do. But, only follow me as far as I follow Christ."

I love my son deeply, even now before he is born, and the greatest gift that I can give him is to spend the rest of my life revealing God's fame in this world, starting with Kristina, then Jeremiah, then any other children we may have, and then the world. May God give me the strength and grace to live as the apostle Paul lived, to live as Christ.

When You Realize You're a Loser

2007-12-04T12:10:00.000-08:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

My entire life I have struggled with self-esteem. My expectations of myself were so high that I never could please myself and nothing that I did was ever good enough. It always could have been better. My parents were surprised at this as they watched me grow and mature, because from their vantage point I was talented and gifted. I did well in school, I was okay at sports and very involved, I graduated from college, etc. They never thought I would struggle with self-esteem.

This is really a double sided coin for me. The coin is pride. The two sides are self-pity and arrogance. I struggle with both.

The first side of the coin, self-pity, manifests itself in this way: n many ways I never feel like what I do is good enough. I never feel encouraged enough. I feel down because I believe the lie that I'm ineffective and stupid. Sometimes I get so caught up in what people think, that it almost paralyzes me. Other people's opinions matter too much to me.

The second side of the coin, arrogance, manifests itself mostly in my heart. I think that I am God's gift to earth, that what I say is gold and what I do is diamonds. I feel like everyone should respect me because I am wise, young, and passionate. Listen to me, because I have "inside information" that you want to know about God. Look at my life, I'm the golden boy!

Both sides of this coin, the coin of my life, are blatantly atheistic and self-centered. Neither side of the coin is holy. Both are unholy and sinful. There is my struggle.

I think life becomes much better when you just admit you are a loser and that Christ is the only winner and your only hope of being saved from being a loser is Him. Christ is the manifestation of cool. There is nothing more modern, more relevant, more applicable than Christ our advocate. We need Him more than anything and he validates our lives. Without Him, we remain a loser. I guess that sounds mean, but its true. Perishing for eternity is certainly not winning!

John writes in 1 John 2:1-2, "But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins..." Jesus the righteous is our advocate through faith. He takes us from hostility with God to grace and favor with God, so much so that God "...[rejoices] over you with gladness; he [quiets] you by his love; he [exults] over you with loud singing (Zephaniah 3:17)." God does not rejoice over losers, He rejoices over winners in Christ.

The truth is simple: when you admit you are a loser without Christ and that Christ is a winner and can save you from being a loser, and then trust Christ to redeem you, you become a winner.

I love Jesus because He has revealed to me that He is supreme over all things. This keeps my coin of pride in perspective. If I feel like a loser, I need only remember who made me a winner. If I feel like God's gift to man, I need only to return to the blood-soaked cross and remember what Christ did for me to secure my eternity.

When the Heart is Cold, God Seems Boring, and Your Prayer Life Died: A Practical Guide to Increase Your Passion for God

2007-11-21T05:30:00.000-08:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

The Christian life is filled with peeks and valleys. The peeks are high times when we feel so close to God. The valleys are times when God seems distant or maybe not even real. Sometimes our faith seems unbreakable, strong, and outspoken. Other times our faith seems shipwrecked, gone, possibly on vacation. Our hearts grow cold as the brisk breeze of apathy blows over our hearts. God becomes boring and not very captivating. Our Bibles become dusty, and our own prayer life takes three in the chest. What should we do?

Giving up is not an option. Giving up means walking away from God, and our hearts desperately need to run to God.

Depression is not an option. Depression drives us from the Lord and drives us to a place of unrest, distrust, panic, and self pity as we clutch to ourselves and not the cross.

Anger is not an option. God does not cause us to walk away from Him; we willingly do it. We cannot blame Him. We are the ones who keep our Bibles on the shelf. We are the ones who cannot seem to utter a prayer longer than 15 seconds. We are the ones that lack faith.

Discouragement is not an option. Discouragement is natural and understandable, yet if in our discouragement we despair, we turn our backs to Jesus. Despair leads us to give up, when Christ desires us to own up to our discouragement and then find our solace and peace in Him. The remedy for the sickness of discouragement is confession, repentance, and trust in the King.

So, if giving up, depression, anger, and discouragement are not solutions for our apathy, what is the solution? Is there an answer? What should we do?

Here are several practical steps to help renew your interest in, passion for, energy towards, and love for Jesus Christ:

STEP ONE: Immediately confess to God that you have been very disinterested in Him, bored with Him, and have turned your back on Him. Then, praise Him for not turning His back on you.

STEP TWO: Ask God to give you zeal, passion, and excitement for: (1) Him; (2) the Bible; (3) Prayer; and (4) Others.

STEP THREE: Plan. Plan the following:

(1) TIME & PLACE--Choose a time during the day when you consistently have free time, you are alert, and you have energy (5:30 am may not be a good choice). During that free time set a goal for yourself to use 15 minutes in prayer and devotional Bible reading. It is imperative that you set a goal to do this consistently for 30 days to form a habit. Then, choose a place to have your devotions.

(2) PRAYER--You must plan what you will pray for. Take a piece of paper and make four columns: ADORATION, CONFESSION, THANKSGIVING, and SUPPLICATION (This is an acronym; A-C-T-S).

Under ADORATION, list the things about God that you would like to praise Him for. Maybe His truth. Maybe His eternal beauty. Maybe that He is your Father. Maybe that you love Him because He gave Jesus Christ.

Under CONFESSION, list the sins you would like to confess to Jesus. Maybe write down repetitive sins that you always struggle with or areas that always give you trouble.

Under THANKSGIVING, list the things you are thankful for. What has God given you? What would you like to thank God for? Write these things here.

Under SUPPLICATION, which means "to make a humble, earnest petition" or "to ask for", make several main headings: My Concerns, Family Concerns, School Concerns, Friends, World Affairs, and Church. Under the headings, list out any prayer requests that you have in each specific category. List things you need help with, things you question, things you doubt, things your friends are dealing with, the salvation of others, etc. These are the things you would like to ask God for.

Keep this "Prayer List" in your Bible and place your Bible in the place you chose to have your devotions.

(3) BIBLE BOOK--You need to choose what you will read and study. Do NOT just haphazardly read random passages in Scripture for your devotions. Choosing one book to study at a time will help you focus, remember, learn, and remain interested. Here is an example:

Don the Prom King has an interest in fighting for social justice. He hates cliques. He hates that some of the popular kids make fun of other kids. He hates school violence. Don the Prom King may choose to read Matthew first because he wants to see Jesus in action. He wants to see how Jesus reacted socially while He was on earth. So, Don the Prom King picks Matthew as his book to study.

STEP FOUR: Commit to do it, then do it. During the time that you planned, go through the prayer and devotional Bible reading plan you designed. Obviously, turn of your iPods, video games, movies, etc. Quiet is the best! Here is one possible outline for your 15 minute devotional time:

(1) Ask the Spirit to come and guide you and to open your mind and heart to know God more intimately. (Less than 1 minute).

(2) Open the Bible to the book you chose and slowly read through one portion of Scripture. The goal is not speed reading! Slower can be better. You may read one chapter, or you may read 15 verses. You may want to take notes in a journal or write comments in the margin of your Bible. Write down questions you have or what you don't understand. Ask yourself why God put this in the Bible. Ask yourself what the Bible passage means. Ask yourself what action you should take as a result of what you've read. Next time, pick up where you left off. (Around 10 minutes.)

(3) Get out your "Prayer Sheet" and start praying through A-C-T-S. Adore God with your heart and words for a while (A). Then, confess your sins to Him (C). Then, thank God for all He is and all He has done (T). Lastly, ask God for what's on your heart and what you've written on your sheet (S). (Around 4 minutes.)

This outline is one way that you can draw closer to God devotionally. You may want to do some other things during your devotional time (sing, silently reflect upon God, etc.). This guide is to help you renew your interest in, passion for, energy towards, and love for God and His Word. There is no magical equation to spiritual growth, but the power is in simplicity. Prayer and the Word will help you feed your soul with Christ-saturated truth and passion. You may not immediately feel energized, passionate, interested, or excited, but you must stay the course. This may be painful at first (it can be a blast if our hearts are right), but I can guarantee you that without prayer and the Word of God consistently feeding your soul, you will starve spiritually and remain stagnant at best, and at worst slip into great sin and misery.

Dear Christian, take heart, the Christian life is not easy and requires hard work and diligence, yet God is always gracious and faithful and loves you passionately. Take heart for "he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."

Kristen Yealy on Evangelism

2007-11-12T05:30:00.000-08:00

by Kristen Yealy

When I was in middle school, I really started to accept my faith as my own, and one of the areas that really changed for me was the way I showed that in school. As with anything else though, it took time for me to understand how to do this. I used to be really confused on evangelism. I thought that I had to constantly search for ways to share Christ with people, and when we did start talking about it, I had to have the perfect answers and the perfect language so that what I said would be legitimate. However, I didn’t really engage people. I had just begun a period of really getting into the Bible, and I would bring it to school every day and read it during my free time while the other kids talked to each other. Somehow I justified this by saying I was an introvert- that people could see me doing this and it would be enough of a witness. Eventually I realized that I was shutting myself off from people and that it was better if I spent my personal time with God at home. Very discouraged, I stopped bringing my Bible to school and put evangelizing in the back of my mind.

Now I’m a junior in high school. Just the other day, I was sitting in one of my classes when I got in a conversation with two girls about what colleges we were looking at. Without thinking about it, I mentioned how I wasn’t sure about whether to go to a Christian or secular school. Five minutes later, I realized that we had completely steered off of colleges onto Christianity- what makes a “good Christian”, can Christians swear, etc.

I think that it’s impossible to witness to people unless you know them. Everyone has their own evangelistic styles, but one thing that I’ve found works for me is spending an extended period of time just developing a relationship with somebody first. It’s important to let people know that you care before they will listen to what you have to say. Also, we can trust that God will provide the opportunities that we are looking for. One of the most effective ways to end up talking about God is to have Him come up naturally. When you talk about Him, talk about Him because He’s part of your every-day life. Even if a conversation doesn’t start from it, people will know that you’re somebody they can talk to about God.

You just need to relate to your audience. When someone comes up and asks you if you can be a Christian and swear or drink, is “no” the best answer to give them? Admitting to a similar struggle provides a common ground and a great way of showing them how grace can work in their lives. However, while it’s important to veer away from laying down rules to intimidate people, it still frustrates me when Christians won’t show any accountability in that area. We still need to explain how our sinful choices end up changing because of God in our lives.

I’m sure that there is still a lot of growing for me to do in this area, but each day I’m also experiencing God’s peace about it a lot more than in my first years as a Christian. It seems as though you have to be in a Christian lifestyle to be able to honestly witness to the world. Maybe evangelism isn’t so much about what you do as who you are.

Thoughts from a Daddy

2007-11-05T07:03:00.000-08:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

As you may know, Kristina and I do not have any children. In a sense that is true, and in another sense it needs more clarification. Several months ago Kristina had a miscarriage. It was an early miscarriage, so the emotional strain on our hearts was minimal. Really, there was very little time for us to grow accustomed to the idea that she was pregnant. However, after the miscarriage I have thought about our loss. I believe strongly that our little life, created by God within the womb of Kristina, was indeed a person with a soul. Even though God did not grant it the continuation of life, it was a life. Therefore, I am a daddy. Kristina is a mommy. We have a child that God is sovereign over and that God has cared for.

We never met our first child. It is a challenge for me to know how to answer questions like, "Is this your first child" or "Do you have any kids?" I don't feel like divulging our entire life story in a long complicated answer to a fairly simple and lighthearted question. The person inquiring about our life in kindness does not need a complicated answer, yet Kristina and I recognize the loss of life in our first pregnancy. Life isn't always easy or clear.

Now, Kristina is pregnant for the second time with our second child. She is doing a great job and our little boy is progressing each day. What will he be like? Will he like football? Will he like the theater? Will he enjoy fly fishing like his father? Will he be strong willed or graciously compliant? What if our little boy is born with physical challenges or mental disabilities? Do I really believe in God's sovereignty.

With the anticipation of the arrival of our son, I have many thoughts. I may worry at times and other times I'm really excited to see my son run for a touchdown or knock the helmet off the quarterback. Sometimes I wonder if we will lose him before he is born, and other times I can picture us playing together. A father has a lot to think about and process emotionally and spiritually, and I want to exude Christ as a father. I want to be a great dad.

I love my son, and I cannot wait to father him. I want to give to him what my father gave to me: time, love, devotion, faithfulness, discipline, energy, laughter, friendship, mentoring, security, humility, creativity, passion, and respect. I want my son to grow up knowing that his father loves him and is proud of him. I want my son, after he has sinned or really messed up, to see the tenderness and grace in the eyes of his father, and to NEVER doubt that my love still blazes for him; no matter what. My son will never lose my love...I will always love him, and I will always love his first sibling as well.

John Wilmot, the second Earl of Rochester commented, "Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children and no theories.” Perhaps after the birth of my child I will have similar sentiments, but for now I know that God is gracious and has given me the perfect model to emulate; Jesus. I want to be "Jesus" to my son. Whatever God has for my son, I want to be consistently Christlike to him. I want to show him what love is. I want to show him what justice and honor and truth is. I want to bring the heavenly doctrines of justification by faith, sanctification, the divinity of Jesus, grace, forgiveness, predestination, God's sovereignty, salvation, etc. to life as I live them for my son.

Prayer: Father in heaven, through your beautiful Son Jesus, would you make me a gracious father? By the power of your Spirit would you fill me with kindness, grace, truth, justice, strength, energy, and passion? God, make Christ the center of my life so that my Son sees You as radiant, magnificent, splendid, and holy because He sees his father fascinated by your radiance, magnificence, splendor, and holiness. May I live Jesus for and with my son! Amen.

It's A Facebook Nightmare

2007-10-29T05:42:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan Shirk

I think Facebook is sweet. The things that you can do with it are amazing. Posting songs, pictures, movies, messages, are all great ways to entertain each other. Keeping in contact with friends through Facebook can be really nice, especially when your friend lives in Switzerland (I don't have any friends in Switzerland, but if I did...nice). I guess the world seems smaller when you have something like Facebook. It allows people to be connected through computer, which is not nearly as good as being face-to-face, but okay if you cannot be face-to-face.

I like the whole "wall" idea. However, it seems like people forget that other people can read what they wrote and see the pictures they post. Writing things on the computer and posting pictures are both really easy to do, and maybe that is the problem. Maybe it's so easy that we feel at liberty to write and post whatever we feel like, even if it's destructive. I guess I'm not surprised, but a little disappointed at some things that I see on my friends' Facebook pages. I know that there are appalling Facebook pages out there, but you shouldn't expect to see them on Christians' pages. But you do.

I wonder what God thinks when he looks at my Facebook page? What does He think when He looks at yours? The wall post that you wrote yesterday may get a few laughs, but is God laughing? Don't get me wrong, I think God has a great sense of humor, I'm just suggesting that we should think through what we post on Facebook. Are we reflecting Christ on our pages and how we interact with our friends over Facebook?

Jonathan's Thoughts on the Media...Not Perfect But Real

2007-10-23T06:46:00.000-07:00

I have struggled with media for a long time. I understand that we are supposed to be "in" the world as Christians, but not "of" the world. I don't think it is productive and good for Christians to escape into a "Christian" world and bury their heads in a satchel and then in the sand leaving their influence in the real world to deflate to nothing. I don't think it is practical nor positive for Christians to have no idea what music, movies, magazines, newspapers, blogs, etc. are saying and what the cries are of the world. Being out of touch with the world as a Christian recluse is flat out un-Biblical. God is greatly pleased when Christians, intelligent Christians, engage ideas and ideals of the world with the message of Jesus Christ. God works through Christians to dynamically influence the world. God works greatly through willing, passionate students to change their culture and lead other students to drink from the endless fountain of Christ.

That being said, I firmly believe that Christians are being consumed by the media, using, "We must be 'in' the world" as an excuse to indulge their sinful natures in the name of "becoming all things to all people." It seems like a very lame excuse. It sounds Christian and noble, but wreaks of love of worldliness. If we need to subject ourselves to the vividness and sensuality of 300, or Fergie, or Cosmopolitan magazine in order to talk about the gospel with our friends (who are viewing 300, listening to Fergie, and reading Cosmo) then we must go back to the gospel and ask ourselves, "Is our hope for relating to the world in doing exactly what they do?" Has effective gospel ministry been whittled down to symbiosis with the world? How are we different?

I write this because it is a constant struggle in my heart. I love media. I liked Fight Club! There was something inside my heart that cried out, "I want to punch my friends in the face for fun too." You may laugh, but it's true. That movie touched on something real in my heart. It's too bad that that "something real" was not my craving to reach the lost for Christ and relate to them, but a violent carnality that relates to being desensitized in life and feeling pain. Even if I was to watch Fight Club in order to reach out to the world, to taste what they taste to better equip myself for Christ, I have just been exposed to intense, gratuitous, glorified violence, vulgarity, sexually explicit, callous material, nudity, over 60 F-bombs, justified terrorism, and glorified masochistic behavior. The first time I watched Fight Club was in college, and I thought of walking out of the theater...but didn't. We had many lively discussions over this. There was something real and something awesome about this movie. But, the content that struck me was carnal and it appealed to my flesh, not my spirit.

I use this example of Fight Club to make a point. Culture is really appealing to our flesh. Can we discern the difference of "being of the world" and "being in the world"? Read a review of Fight Club and you will get the idea; you do not have to watch it to relate to those who did.

I love movies, music, art, theater, reading, and the like, but feel strongly that we must show the world that our decision making is different than theirs. We must be a light to show people their own darkness and offer the light. We must be radically different. We're not, and it hurts our effectiveness. My challenge to myself and to you is to think, discern, and feel Christ. He is in you, and you should not "sleep with" the culture, committing adultery against God with the media, in order to better serve Him. Several thoughts to conclude:

(1) Read reviews and study the content and themes of movies prior to watching.
(2) Know a little about the worldviews of the artists that you are listening to, watching, or reading.
(3) When you listen, watch, or read, be sure that you NEVER turn your mind off to the worldviews that you are being exposed to.
(4) Talk about these things with other Christians and challenge each other to discern. Help one another.
(5) Know your own heart well. Don't set yourself up for a fall.
(6) Most importantly, pray to God that He will spare you from your own carnality and will give you a heightened, spiritual sensitivity and discernment for media use.

The media is not bad. In fact, I believe Christians should be very aware of what is going on around them. But, I do think Christ should shine in our decisions; which should look very different than the world. Think twice before you mindlessly consume The Comebacks, Future Sex/Love Sounds, or Men's Health. Just think like Christ would. Here's to wise media use!

Rock N Roll Jesus

2007-10-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

By Jonathan L. Shirk

It is amazing to see how Jesus shows up in popular culture. Many times it is not as all-powerful King, but rather some nifty or hot idea or icon that is used for image or affect rather than salvation. Why is Kid Rock so interested in Jesus? Is he interested in Jesus? And, why did he name his latest album Rock N Roll Jesus?

In his song Rock N Roll Jesus Kid Rock writes, "Testify. It's a Rock revival. Don't need a suit, ya don't need a bible. Get up and dance, I'm gonna set you free, yeah. Testify. It's all sex, drugs, rock n roll. A soul sensation that you can't control, and you can see I practice what I preach. I'm your rock n roll Jesus. Yes I am." I guess you could liken Kid Rock with John Lenon in his blasphemous tone (i.e. "We're more popular than Jesus.")

I find it curious that Kid Rock is assuming certain things about Jesus as he blasphemes him. He is agreeing that a testimony must happen, a sharing, a heralding if you will. He agrees that there is something like a revival or restoration to life. Kid Rock acknowledges the Bible, even though he says you don't need one for his "rock revival." Rock displays that consistency is important to him, or acting in a way that fits his beliefs; hence "practice what I preach." He even touches on the reality of our soul cravings and affections being satisfied. His answer is himself; the Christian's answer is Jesus. Will Rock N Roll, or Kid Rock truly fill your heart? Will "sex, drugs, [and] rock n roll" become the ultimate, real, true sense of your joy?

This song is sad. This song is desperation screaming out in pain and guilt. This song is an expression of the lie of our culture; there are other Jesus' that can fulfill you. Kid Rock shouts what even the Christian heart experiences; idolatry.

You may not have a rock n roll Jesus, but perhaps you turn to your friends to be your "Jesus." What Kid Rock means is that he can save rock n roll; he is "Jesus" to rock n roll. Maybe to you, Jesus is your grades; you may possibly think grades will save you from being a nobody. Maybe to you, Jesus is your athletic performance; if you could just win and excel than maybe you would be popular or get a girlfriend or your father would be proud of you. Maybe to you, Jesus is your Christian service; you serve, and serve, and serve because people in the church are watching and you have a reputation to keep. Whatever it may be, you could find that you are relying on something other than the true Jesus for sustenance. You hide idols deeply in your heart.

Sadly, many teenagers in America actually believe what Kid Rock is saying. No, they may not like Kid Rock or his music, but they buy his message; there are things in this world that can fulfill you. The moment we embrace this lie is the very moment we have lost our lives. We must come to grips with reality that the only Jesus, the only King of all things, the real deal, God, is able to fulfill us. Rock n roll won't fill us because our souls were made for bigger things. Sex won't fill us, because our souls were made for more profundity. Drugs won't fill us, because they will just kill our brains and leave us craving a high that they cannot deliver.

Let's keep our eyes open as Christians to realize the truths that present themselves in our culture. Let's use opportunities like Kid Rock's album Rock N Roll Jesus to dialogue with people. Let's see if people really believe this stuff and why. Ask questions of people. Ask if they see any truth in this stuff. Use these opportunities to point others to the real Jesus, the one who can and does satisfy the human heart.

Could Master Chief Petty Officer John 117 Be a Christ Figure?

2007-09-27T05:50:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

The nation is once again enthralled with the release of Microsoft's video game Halo. Halo 3 hit the shelves and basically broke them with a startling $170 million in first day sales. Halo 3's sales were so spectacular that it broke Spider-Man 3's (movie) opening box office sales of $151 million. Halo 3 is hot.

But what is the lure of Halo 3? What captivates it's audience? Could it be violence? Competition? Entertainment? Graphics? Or, could it be a mysterious link to the spiritual? Perhaps many students are drawn into Halo 3 because they sense a fight for justice, truth, and realize the world's need for a Savior, a hero.

I went to http://www.halo3.com/ and watched a video that grabbed my attention. Beyond the stunning detail of the miniature models of battle sequences stood a profound, curious, and mysterious idea. Possibly Christ? During the short video, the voice of the commentator says regarding a monument, "More importantly, it commemorates the man who gave the world faith, who gave humanity a future, who made mankind believe again; Master Chief Petty Officer John 117.” Certainly this quote has spiritual and theological underpinnings. Now, Microsoft may not intend to point anyone to Christ, but in a sense they have.

Who gave believers in Christ faith? Who gave humanity hope for a future eternal paradise? Who empowered man to believe?

And why the name "John 117"? I looked up John 1:17 and John 11:7 because I was curious. I found that John 11:7 was not very relevant for Halo 3 ("Then after this he said to the disciples, 'Let us go to Judea again.'"). However, John 1:17 is curiously connected to the short phrase that comes on the screen during the video, "Believe: The John 117 Monument." John 1:17 states, "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Halo 3 is a battle of great proportions, but not anything like the battle for the souls of man; which Christ already won. Human souls were set free through the grace and truth of Jesus Christ. God gave men faith, and those men were set free by their hero Jesus. Though Jesus does not battle some weird aliens, he conquered the creepiest creature of all; Satan.

The Halo 3 short film concludes with, “On that day, half a century ago, our species was pushed to the crumbling edge of extinction, and as we teetered on that precipice, staring down into the abyss, a hand reached out, pulled us back from the brink, and gave us hope. The hand of a hero.” Humanity was in serious trouble, both in the fantasy of Halo 3, and in reality of creation. Humanity was, in real life, heading to eternal punishment in hell because they disobeyed God. Though humanity will never be extinct because the human soul lives forever, humanity was and is threatened by judgment. The hand of Christ reaches out and "pulls us back from the brink" of perishing in our sin and "[gives] us hope." Christ gives us hope in Himself. Christ saves those whom God gave Him. Christ saves His bride the church. He is the ultimate hero.

Lastly, the short film flashes the potent word "Believe." Is Halo 3 calling the world to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ? I doubt it, but the theme of Halo 3 is quite intriguing. May Christians never turn our minds off to miss the cries of the world for something significant, something huge, something profound, something spiritual; it cries out for God.

I Think I Dropped My Salvation, and Now I Cannot Find It

2007-09-24T06:57:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Can Christians lose their salvation? This is a question that has led many Christians into wonder, anger, suspense, bickering, doubt, and passion. The Bible has much to say regarding salvation, and in order to grasp the immense topic of salvation, one must take the entire Scripture into consideration. Like a baby with a knife, it is dangerous to isolate certain Scripture passages from the rest of the canon, and then try to prove something from that isolated text (taken out of context).

So, can humans lose their salvation? One of our sharp, insightful, intelligent youth at NPC asked a great question. The student wrote to me (things have been changed to guard their identity),

"When...I went to [camp] this past summer, there was a girl there who was having questions about her faith. She thought that she had faith before, but wasn't sure if she had it anymore. She was concerned that she couldn't get it back, and quoted Hebrews 6:4-6 (that after one has been saved, then rejects the savior, one can't be saved again). Basically [Jimmy Hoffa], several of my friends, and I all had a Bible study, to try to understand the passage. We read most of Hebrews, and multiple reference verses on the subject. We also got on the web and did a search and came up with some very interesting articles. I was wondering what your thoughts were on the subject."

Wow! This student did their research. They read most of Hebrews to gain the context and looked at reference verses. All in order to gain a perspective; a perspective that can help the girl with the question. Here are my humble thoughts.

Hebrews 6:4-6 reads, "For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then fall away, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt."

If the writer of Hebrews did mean that one can lose their salvation, how do we then interpret John 10:28-29, John 17:12, Romans 8:28, and Philippians 1:6? There must be something more to these verses.

Ask yourself this question: Could Hebrews 6:4-6 describe a non-Christian that grows up within the church in a home with Christian parents? Is it possible for that non-Christian church goer to know the truth, say they believe the truth, and yet never actually believe the truth (Matt. 7:21-22)? Could they have received many benefits of the gospel while at church? Could they have taken communion? Could they have been baptized? Is it possible to manifest insincere, fake, counterfeit faith, repentance, gifts, etc. that look real?

Read Matthew 13:3-23 very carefully. The Word of God does not produce fruit in many hearts, except the hearts that has been cultivated to receive and benefit from it. Those who produce fruit have truly been changed from the Word of God. Could the person described in Hebrews 4 be the rocky ground?

It is possible for a non-Christian to repent. They can go through the motions of repentance, yet not trust in Christ as their Savior. Someone may be very sorry for their sins, yet ignore Jesus as the answer to their sins. It is possible for someone to know the gospel very well, and even believe it, yet never own it for themselves. It is very possible for someone to enjoy many benefits of the Christian life, yet completely miss the point of savoring Christ. It is possible for someone to be filled with the Holy Spirit for a time, not in the regeneration sense, and have the Holy Spirit leave (1 Samuel 16:14). It is possible for someone to benefit and find comfort in the Scripture of God, yet take no hope in it, place no trust in it, and find no pleasure in the God who wrote it.

If a person has all of these things, yet in the end falls away, they only prove that they never sincerely had salvation. If they did, God would have preserved them to the end. If salvation is a gift, and it is; if salvation is from God only, and it is; if faith is a gift from God, and it is; then why would God give you a gift, only to take it from you again? If election is true, and it is; if God chose you to be saved before the foundation of the world, and He did; if predestination is Biblical and true, which it is; then why would God predestine you before you were born to be saved, and then retract His election to finally, in the end, send you to hell? God does not do that and there is no Biblical evidence that He would do that.

I believe ultimately the belief that you can lose your salvation is rooted in a misunderstanding of salvation, predestination, election, and God's sovereign choice and power. As we understand salvation more, our view of our own eternal security comes into clearer focus. We must trust God. God will not let you fall away. Christians, take heart, for God has saved you and will preserve you until the end. If you could lose your salvation, then it must have been up to you to find it. Well, I think you found your salvation only because God chose to give it to you; and He will never take it back!

Don't worry about losing your salvation. Trust that God has a firm grip on it and you! Now prove that you are saved by loving Jesus till you die!

Fast Cars, a Vicious Tiger, and A Guy Who Throws Things

2007-09-17T05:27:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

The SSC Ultimate Aero is a sports car that may surpass all the others. The top speed of this roaring machine is 260 - 273 mph. I guess the reason it is so fast is that 1,046 horses crawled into the machine and make it run. If you would like to try these 8 cylinders out, maybe use it as your "drive to school" car, all you need is $654,500. A job at Burger King should cover this!?

Next we have a Tiger so vicious, that when he bears his teeth he shoots 66. Tiger Woods is most certainly the best golfer of our age, but could possibly be the best golfer in the history of the game. Tiger Woods has played in 230 Golf events and has 61 career 1st place finishes. He makes a lot of money on endorsements, but he made $76,579,376 on the course during his short career. He's still going!

Fast cars and vicious Tigers are cool, but what about things that are perfect? There have been 17 players in major league history to pitch perfect games (no walks, no hits, no runs...only strikeouts and humiliation). The latest player to do it was Randy Johnson in 2004. Johnson, an Arizona Diamondback, pitched against the Atlanta Braves. He was 40 years old. The final score was 2-0 and of the 27 outs in a 9 inning, major league game, 13 were strikeouts. It was perfect.

What do all of these things have in common? They are intriguing and amazing. They captivate our hearts and minds. We are enamored and enthralled with them. Things that are so great and spectacular, as well as rare, are powerful to us. We are amazed with things that are profound and bigger than we are. Preeminence would be the word.

Paul states in Colossians 1:15-20, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross."

It is pretty spectacular to realize that Jesus Christ made all things and they were made for him. They were not made for us, primarily, they were made for him. He is King. He is most important. He is beautiful beyond description, wonderful, brilliant, inspiring, enthralling, and powerful. Since we are drawn to perfection, enamored by power and brilliance, Jesus Christ should stand above all things in our hearts and minds. Everything else that our heart and mind find interesting comes in a distant second to King Jesus. And if you thrive on excellence and the best, why would you settle for a distant second? Why tease yourself by feasting on inept and impotent things. Feast on the King for he will never disappoint.

While you go through school, athletics, activities, and family, remember that Jesus Christ is preeminent. He is superior. He is supreme. This enables us to trust him and love him because we know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he is always right, always loving, always wise, always perfect, always dependable, and will NEVER disappoint you. Trust him with everything.

Use Student Ministry to Reach Out

2007-09-10T13:15:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Let's face it, sometimes talking about God with our unsaved friends can be difficult. In fact, if we are honest, many of us don't even do it because we are scared of what they will think of us. We almost reach the point where Jesus is okay and cool for us, but we "wouldn't want to push Him on anyone else." The only good thing about that mindset is that it reveals that there are more important things to us than Christ...and we can change.

Jesus is not a treasure to horde for ourselves; He is meant to be talked about and shared. Jesus is a friend of ours (and our King) that has the power to radically change the lives of everyone we introduce Him to. If we (Christians) don't introduce Him, our friends will perish! Perish is a strong word, but a true word. Our friends will go to hell without Jesus. It is not our job to save them, it is our job to share Jesus with them, live Jesus for them, and love them unconditionally. God has given followers of Christ the responsibility and privilege to spread the message of Christ to dead people...and like Haley Joel Osment from The Sixth Sense, "[you] see dead people." In fact, you go to school with dead people. They are spiritually dead because they do not know Jesus.

I encourage you to share Christ with your friends at school. Be passionate for the cause. However, there is something in addition to sharing Christ directly that is easy, simple, fast, and very effective! Invite them to Student Ministry activities or to NPC. Introduce them to other students of NPC. All you have to do is be friendly and persistent in asking. Your friends will have fun with us...but most importantly they will hear about King Jesus.

Invite them to 24Seven or Target.
Invite them to the Fall Retreats.
Invite them to the 30 Hour Famine Lock-in.
Invite them on the Ski Retreat.
Invite them to the Hollywood Party.
Invite them...

The entire schedule for the year is posted at http://www.northparkepc.org/Documents/2007-2008Calendar_001.pdf. We have a lot planned that your friends will enjoy...if they see you enjoying it. Use Student Ministry this year to reach out in Christ's name to your unsaved friends...God may just use you to radically change someone's life.

Student Ministry is not Jonathan Shirk, Deb McKinney, or the Gilmores! Student Ministry is you. You have the power to be an effective missionary in your school. How will your friends be saved? What is the Spirit doing in the lives of your friends?

Look for the opportunity to bring a friend this year...and allow our group to reach out to them and love them!

Korn and Christ

2007-08-23T06:41:00.000-07:00

Read the Christianity today article entitled, "Head Joins the Body" by Troy Anderson. This article is about guitarist Brian "Head" Welch who became a Christian and left the band Korn.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/interviews/2007/brianwelch-0807.html

The Media Ate My Heart Out

2007-08-21T05:36:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

If water drops on something, it will splash. There will be no damage done per se. However, if small drops drip on a surface for long enough it will leave an indentation. Water has power over time to penetrate rock. Constancy.

My brother tells a story that cracks me up when I hear it. It is hilarious. Maybe the story resonnates with me because it is my brother telling it, and I love the guy. He is hilarious. Anyway, he tells a story of a time he was eating spray cheese. He loved it so much he just couldn't stop eating it. He finished the can. He was sick. He threw up. Now that is funny (he also thinks it is funny and has given me permission to use this story). He literally could not tell himself in an effective voice to stop; so he didn't. What was once really good to him, he now cannot eat. He's done with spray cheese!

When we talk about media, it is a very fine line. What is acceptable? What would Jesus watch? What does Philippians 4:8 mean? Is violence different from sexually explicit material? What about swearing? How much is too much?

Media is so powerful that it can change thinking, influence feelings, instigate action, and many other things. Media must be controlled in our lives, or else it will control us. How much is too much and what does dripping water and spray cheese have to do with media?

Media is powerful. It is like dripping water. Sometimes, media is so subtle that it is like one small drop after another, gently dropping on your mind. Little by little the effect of media bores a hole in your heart and mind. It wears you down because you have accepted a constant diet of false truths. Not all media is false truths, but we are tempted to shut down our minds while watching or listening or reading. We become lazy in discernment and thinking. Therefore the media can be a slow dripping of water. You don't want a hole in your heart do you?

Just like everything else in life, media must be controlled. We must place limits on it or else it will run our lives. Media is so stimulating that it can entertain us for hours; hours that seem like minutes. At the center of media is some form of pleasure. And we like pleasure. We taste the media and it tastes good. We continue to indulge. It still tastes good. We consume it like my brother consumed spray cheese, and at the very end, we notice our heart is sick. Our heart is broken. We have been effected profoundly in our thinking and feeling because we have consumed in abundance what should have been consumed in moderation. We went too far.

Proverbs 25:16 reads, "If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it, and vomit it." Honey is good. It tastes great. When someone finds honey along the way, it is a good find. But the caution is to "eat only enough for you." Why "only enough"? Why not cram fistful after fistful into your mouth? Well, if you do, you will vomit. Remember the cheese? The wisdom is in moderation. Media must be consumed in moderation, not in excess!

Proverbs 25:28 reads, "A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls." Self-control must be exercised over the media. If not, your mind and heart will end up without walls. Imagine an army breaking into a city and setting explosives under key buildings. When the explosions happen, the city falls. No more walls. No more buildings. If media is not controlled, it will break into your mind and start disassembling your mental faculties.

I'm reading a book entitled The Culturally Savvy Christian by Dick Staub. I believe Christians should consume a healthy amount of media. We must be in touch with the world. But we must excercise wisdom, prudence, self-control, and our minds. Never stop discerning. Never stop thinking. Always weigh what you see, hear, or read against the Bible.

If you are spending hours a day in front of the TV, question that. If you are playing video games for hours on end, question that. Is your IPod your best friend? Question that. Make sure that you are not gorging on media, and also make sure you are having a healthy, steady diet of personal Bible study and prayer. You need it. Your heart needs it. It will protect you against the media eating your heart out.

A Follow-Up to "Why Does the Church Talk So Much About Sex...or Do They?"

2007-08-16T04:35:00.000-07:00

The following link is a Taste and See article by Pastor John Piper entitled "Good Doctrine Makes Better (Teenage) Saints."

The thought that Piper expresses is a deep conviction of mine. This is why I cannot in good conscience go to an entertainment model for Student Ministry. Many in the Church at large call this entertainment model "outreach." You can tell it isn't outreach and that it is entertainment when you notice the depth and profundity of the Gospel are missing. I think outreach is taking the solid, true, deep, and heart-changing Gospel of Christ in its glory to lost hearts...and saved hearts. Our students need this passion. I need this passion.

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2007/2312_Good_Doctrine_Makes_Better_Teenage_Saints/

Why Do Churches Talk So Much About Sex...or Do They?

2007-08-13T12:58:00.001-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Pastor Bob Shull recently passed me an interesting article from World Magazine. The article was entitled, Sex and the Evangelical Teen by Gene Edward Veith. Gene makes some good points. Some eye opening points. Some points we should pay attention to.

Jesus says some good stuff too. After giving a warning about false prophets, he says, "A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits (Matthew 7:18-20)." Okay, we must understand this because hell is at stake. Understanding this may save some of our students from hell.

Here we have a good tree. If it is a good tree, then most definitely it will not bear bad fruit. It will bear good fruit. Here we also have a bad tree. If it is a bad tree, then most definitely it will not bear good fruit. It can't. It only yields bad fruit because it is a bad tree.

Students are trees. Some are bad. Some are good. How can you tell? Look at their fruit. It is easy. If a student is good, they do holy things. They look holy. They are not perfect, but repentance and faith are the usual. If a student is bad, they do bad things with no TRUE remorse or TRUE repentance (which means change of action).

Jesus is saying, if you are a tree, which you are, then if you do not bear good fruit you will go to hell. Simple. No good fruit, hell. There is no nice way to say it.

Jesus goes on. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven (Matthew 7:21)." Hold on tightly for this one. There will be some students who say the Christian things, attend youth group, do a few service projects a year, talk about God at school, and mostly obey their parents and will perish. Not everyone who says, "Lord, Lord" will make it. Who does then?

THE ONE WHO DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN. When you bold things and make them all caps, it signifies a joyous yell! The good trees bear good fruit by doing the will of God. That's how you can tell if you're a good tree or a bad tree.

Now to sex and the article. Veith writes, "Evangelical teenagers are just as sexually active as their non-Christian friends." Okay, maybe those evangelical teenagers are bad fruit. Veith shockingly continues, "In fact, there is evidence that evangelical teenagers on the whole may be more sexually immoral than non-Christians." This is a difficult statistic to measure because many of the evangelical teens are bad fruit. They are like the false prophets who profess, "Lord, Lord" but have no relationship with Christ.

Many of our students have gone to the Silver Ring Thing and made pledges of abstinence until marriage. Maybe some of our students have gone to other things and made pledges. Maybe they don't care about pledges. Listen to this. "Those [abstinence pledges] work--for a while--delaying sex on an average of about 18 months, with 88 percent of pledgers eventually giving up their vow to remain virgins until marriage." What?! 88 percent!? Making a vow before God is NOT to be taken lightly. There seems to be a great disparity between making a commitment and honoring the commitment.

Some people think the Church talks too much about sex. Some think the Church has never talked seriously and openly about sex. My view is that the Bible talks a lot about sexual sin; so should the Church. Sexual sin is unique. Sexual sin is powerful. Many of our students are getting eaten alive by it, and in many cases the Church sits in its archaic chair silently.

Some people think that Middle School students are too young to talk to openly about sex. Some people think Middle School students are not young enough to start educating Biblically on sex. Veith wrote, "evangelical teens tend to have sex first at a younger age, 16.3, compared to liberal Protestants, who tend to lose their virginity at 16.7." This statistic means that there are very young Middle School students having sex and experimenting.

I think first and foremost parents must be equipped to talk openly and honestly about sex, in an age appropriate way, from birth. A six year old can understand something about the beauty and godliness of sex by seeing his parents kiss on the lips out of love for each other. There is no "too young" to start educating on sex. So, the parents take the lead.

The Church also has a role in educating students. In a non-graphic way, we need to show our students that sex is not an "off limits" topic and that the Bible has much to say on it. Also, the message of "don't do it because it is morally wrong" is insufficient. Our students MUST recognize that hell is at stake and that their ultimate joy is also at stake.

Joy in Christ is the answer. Savoring and treasuring Jesus Christ above sex is what will lead our students out of the depth of sexual sin and into the eternal joy and pleasure of God. That is what we must model for and teach our students. When they are exposed to the TRUE beauty and grandeur of Christ, they will wait to experience godly sex in the confines of marriage, and they will wait for the glory of Christ and not another self-centered, idolatrous reason.

I pray that we do not leave our students with the shallow message of "Just don't, okay? It's wrong. This is serious. You may get AIDS." I pray we leave them with, "Do you love? Do you cherish? Is Christ important to you. Because if He is, He will paint for you the most beautiful love story in all of history. A marriage. A marriage of Christ to His Church. A marriage that empowers you to face sexual temptation and say, 'I have a supreme joy. His name is Jesus.' I wouldn't trade a sloppy, fake joy for the real thing. My heart is for Him only."

Knowing Christ remains the only tactic that actually works. Let's spend our time teaching that.

The Unforgivable Sin

2007-08-07T05:50:00.000-07:00

Jonathan L. Shirk

Not long ago, a sharp student asked me about two issues: (1) How can we tell when to take things literally in the OT? and (2) What's the deal with the unforgivable sin? Two very good questions. Volumes could be written on each question, but I thought I would give it a short try! Here goes...

How can we tell when to take things literally in the OT?
I think it would be wise to ask several questions prior to interpreting a certain Bible text.

(1) What type of writing/book is it? Is it poetry? Is it historical? Is it a genealogy? Is it a parable?
(2) Who wrote it and who was it written to?
(3) What is the context? This is crucial. Knowing the context will always help you out.
(4) What are the cross references? If you are having trouble determining the meaning of a text, look at the cross references.
(5) Are there any figures of speech? Look for figures of speech. Is there a simile? Is there a metaphor? Is there an anthropopathism (wow, that is a $0.25 word...use it and you get $0.25)?
(6) One of the last resorts should be looking at your study Bible or commentary. This can help though. What does Calvin say? Luther? Henry? McArthur? Piper? Kiel and Delitzsch?

After these steps, you will have an easier time interpreting the Bible. If it's poetry, obviously the writer meant to be figurative at parts. If it is a genealogy, he is being quite literal. Study, study, study, and the Spirit will greatly help you determine what is literal and what is not.

What's the Deal with the Unforgivable Sin?
Many people are really interested in the "unforgivable sin" because they want to know if they've committed it. For many sensitive, spiritual, Christ-centered people, they need not worry if they have committed it...if they remain faithful, repentant, sincere followers of Christ. For those in rebellion, beware.

This is a difficult issue that requires much study. I have not studied this much. But, here are some quick thoughts.

Matthew 12:31-32, "Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come."

Mark 3:28-29, "Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin."

Luke 12:10, "And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven."

The word "blasphemes" means to speak slander or injurious words. Blaspheming is speaking against. Therefore, blaspheming against the Holy Spirit would mean to speak injurious words or slander against God the Holy Spirit. Then, Mark articulates that this "blasphem[ing] against the Holy Spirit" is unforgivable and is considered an "eternal sin." Serious business!

Why the Holy Spirit and not the Father or Son? They are all one. They are all God. There must be something significant about the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit of God is the power by which one is saved. The Spirit moves through the Word of God to bring people to Christ. To mock the Spirit is to mock the power of God. The Spirit is sent from the Father and the Son. If one speaks against the Holy Spirit, they speak against the very work of God in salvation, equating the works of God with the works of Satan (like the Pharisees did). If you know that God is working, yet you deny it and attribute His work to Satan, you are committing a serious sin.

Sproul helpfully writes, "A person who wants to repent, that is, to reverse the sins they may be guilty of, has not suffered this hardening and has not committed the profound act of hatred that God has determined He will not forgive. Anyone who has been born again will not commit this sin, because the Spirit lives in that person, and God is not divided against Himself."

I believe that if a person attributes the work of God to the work of Satan, when knowing fully that it is God's work, they have committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. True repentance, faith, and salvation comes to those God chooses, and God's elect will not commit the unforgivable sin.

If there is a spirit of humility, repentance, and sincere, legitimate faith in your heart, you have not committed the unforgivable sin. If you are thinking, "Oh God, I believe in You, I love You, I need you, but what if I committed the unforgivable sin against Your Spirit? What if I cannot be forgiven and I go to hell? I want desperately to be with You in eternity, savoring and treasuring You. I want more than anything to experience You, to delight in You, and to never stop. But what if I can't because I committed the unforgivable sin? God is there hope for me?", then you are saved! You have not committed any unforgivable sin if your heart is in union with Christ.

Rest easy dear Christian, and commit your life to knowing and loving Jesus Christ!

When We Get What We Want

2007-07-30T09:40:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Sometimes what we really want is not what we should really have. Have you ever really, really, really wanted something, got it, then ended up wishing you never got it? This question might sound strange, but think about it!

Have you ever really wanted to get off the hook so you lied, only to find out that you had sinned against God and received guilt instead of freedom? Maybe you wanted to get somewhere faster and ended up receiving a speeding ticket worth $250! Maybe your impatience and curiosity grew and led you to look at pornography, only to find that your attitude turned sour and you couldn't get the bad images out of your head.

What you thought you wanted, you really didn't want.

This truth became evident to me today as I read my Bible. I was reading Luke 23 and 24. As Jesus nears his brutal murder, the people--the crowd--the masses, were crying, "Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas." In other words, "Spill the blood of this innocent man so we can have back a man that killed some of us." Jesus had only compassion. Barabbas was a murderer.

The people went on to yell, "Crucify, crucify him!" They wanted Jesus to be brutally murdered. John writes, "But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed." The people had severe angst and hatred towards the very man that would give them eternal joy and freedom. They thought they wanted to kill the King.

How many times have you cried out, "Give me sex" or "Give me more money" or "Give me better grades" or "Give me a boyfriend" or "Give me a size 0" or "Give me popularity" or "Give me anything." Your cries may be shallow. In many circumstances, an answer to your selfish cries may be the end of you.

After describing the crucifixion of Christ the Innocent, John explains that the people "had assembled for this spectacle, [and] when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts." Why would the people beat their breasts if they got exactly what they wanted? Why would they return home downcast if just a moment earlier they were emphatically screaming, "Kill this guy!" They did kill him, and when they got exactly what they asked for, they did not go forth in joy and happiness, but grief and discontent.

There is a big lesson here. Sometimes we think we want something, when in reality we do not really want it. Sometimes what we want is fun, when in reality we need purpose. Sometimes we want humor, when in reality we need seriousness. Sometimes we want parties, when in reality we need a night at home. Sometimes we want instant gratification and pleasure, when in reality we need patience and delayed gratification.

Study your own heart and desires and never just assume that what appears good to you is good for you. God will give the best. "Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord. We will wait upon the Lord. We will wait upon the Lord."

Oops I Did It Again...On Purpose

2007-07-11T09:53:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Britney Spears is certainly not the model of godliness, but the application of her lyrics to our Christian faith can be powerful. What happens when we do things, on purpose, that are blantantly against God's Word--they are sinful--and we are afterwards sorry, regretful, and repentant? Oops, I did it again.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." What happens if we have gotten drunk before? What happens if we find ourselves wanting more money everyday? What happens if we lust after Internet pornography? Do these repetitive sins disqualify us from eternal life with God?

Paul also writes in Romans 7:15-20, "I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate...So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me...For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me."

How can Paul write 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 as well as Romans 7:15-20? Isn't there a rub here? Isn't he contradicting himself? What is going on?

I deeply identify with Paul in Romans 7! I live there every day. I fall regularly. I sin constantly, and the evil I do not want seems to be exactly what I continue to do. Does this describe your life as well? Are you with me? I do not believe Paul is contradicting himself. I think Paul is saying that the continuing, unrepentant, insincere sinner will not see eternal heaven with God. The continuing, repentant, and sincere Christian will be saved and inherit the eternal joy of knowing God, even though they continue to sin. Paul did not say that we would be made perfect. He said, "And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God [1 Corinthians 6:11]." Not perfection, but cleansing. Not perfection, but sanctification. Not perfection, but justification. And our change is in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit of God. Our flesh is weak but our spirit is strong and willing. So as Paul said, it is sin that continues within me--my flesh--not my new spiritual self. That new spiritual self has been changed and renewed and is set apart.

Where is the hope then? What do I do when I mess up every day? Will God accept me after I have just spit in His face? Paul gives us a massive encouragement: "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! [Romans 7:24-25]."

What wonderful hope! Who will deliver us from the death of sin; the Perfect, Jesus Christ! We are sinful, and we sin often. But Jesus is there. The gospel is there. Every time we fall into sin, even if we just did the same sin five minutes before, we must sprint our way to the cross of Jesus Christ, and through repentance and faith, find our solace and freedom in Him!

Take heart dear Christian, take heart. The end is near.

PRIDE POWNS

2007-06-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

“A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you're looking down, you can't see something that's above you.” C.S. Lewis

Pride powns. What do I mean? Pride can completely destroy you. Pride makes you look foolish. Pride is unattractive. Pride is easy to spot, but very difficult to beat. We all are incredibly prideful at the core and to some extent believe that the world was created to cater to our needs and desires.

Pride pushes us to look down on other people, to belittle them in order to make ourselves look more attractive, skillful, talented, etc. Pride fixes our eyes on the weaknesses of others in order to magnify our own strengths. Pride weakens friendships.

C.S. Lewis had it correct; when you are looking down on other people, you are very unable to see things that are above; namely the beauty of God. Pride allows us to focus on human things; things that don't matter that much, and we magnify them while missing the tremendous wonder of a transcendent God. Pride powns.

Pride powns because the strength of your downfallen heart can lead you to be consumed with yourself. You become unable to focus on God and other people. Face pride. Pown pride. Take it head on and refuse to be lost in yourself. Instead, spend your time making much of God and other people. Don't talk about yourself much but rather ask questions about other people's lives. Don't do everything to benefit yourself; do things that benefit others. Don't pay yourself compliments; pay others compliments.

In all things allow your large view of God to affect how you treat other people and allow your pride to rest in Jesus Christ. "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

SUMMER SUNDAYS AND EVERYTHING ELSE

2007-06-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

NPCSM is very involved this summer. There are many different activities planned to "hit" many different interests and students. Hopefully we can have a good turn out at each event. There is no pressure to attend all events, but we wanted to plan many opportunities for students in order to compensate for summer vacation schedules.

There are two sites I would like to encourage you to check in regularly with:

www.savorandtreasure.blogspot.com and www.northparkepc.org. These two sites will have much helpful information for the activities of the summer.

If you have any questions, please e-mail or call me in the office.

Jonathan
412-915-6201

Renovating with the Joy of Christ

2007-06-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan Shirk

Here it is near the end of our church fiscal year, and I have taken no vacation days! So, I took several days to renovate my kitchen. Kristina and I have been working on it for a while, and my wonderful parents have come out to Pittsburgh from Lancaster County to help us. I had the demolition finished and the dry wall. For the past several days we have been mudding, sanding, wiping, cleaning, painting, sanding, painting, sanding, and laughing.

How can you mud and sand, paint and clean, with the joy of Christ. Here are three quick ways to renovate with the joy of Christ:

(1) Realize that Christ has given you what you are renovating--all the blessings we have are from the King. We would have nothing if He so chose; but instead we have many blessings.
(2) The renovation is for Christ and His glory--When our kitchen is finished, we can prepare meals and open our home to more people. Our home is a means to an end. Means...house. End...Christ's glory through conversations in the kitchen, meals prepared to sit with others and converse about God and His many graces, and so on.
(3) Our attitudes while we work are evidences of our joy--If my spirit is sour when I'm working, my heart is ultimately sour. If I have joy while I work, it is in the name of Jesus Christ.

Grant McKinney recently taught me an important lesson about Jesus Christ and his glory. Several of Grant and Deb's friends went over to their house on Memorial Day to help them with renovations on their home. Grant was such an encouraging "foreman" to everyone. He was commenting on people's work and how good it was, and he exemplified Christ through His joy. Our attitudes are one large way we experience the joy of Christ. When we are in tune with Him, our spirits are sweet and strong. We are not swayed by smacking our thumb with a hammer or painting orange on the white, or white on the orange.

All things we do, even renovating kitchens, are for Him. Savor and treasure Christ above how nice your kitchen is! All for King Jesus.

being like him

2007-05-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

"And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard..." --Paul, Colossians 1:21-23

God has a plan for His children. According to His will, God proactively makes saints into the image of His Son Jesus. When you are saved, God most certainly produces fruit and evidence in your life attesting to the fact that you have been saved. Therefore, if there is no fruit, no holiness, no change, no continual progress, you may not be saved!

Paul says that at one time we were "alienated and hostile in mind" acting out in selfish, arrogant, "evil" ways. We were evil prior to God saving us! But, Christ has "reconciled [us] in his body of flesh by his death." The blood dripping from Christ's hands was the same blood that purified us. The same back that received the blows from the whip was the same back that was broken for you. The breath that ceased, was the breath that saved. And all of this was to "present you holy and blameless and above reproach before [Christ]." You are not holy unless he saved you. You are not holy unless his crucifixion is real and effective. You are not holy unless "you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you have heard."

There is an important message here for the broken, tired, humble Christian and for the lazy, apathetic, arrogant "Christian".

For the humble: Think about being "above reproach before [Christ]." Unfathomable. Christ is perfect. We are not perfect. Yet because of what he did in your heart, you are completely "above reproach." When God looks upon you through Christ, you are pure, blameless, perfected, justified, acquitted, set apart, made righteous, and joyful. You will continue in faith because He has saved you. You are secure. You are firm. You are stable. You are steadfast. You cling to the hope of the Gospel because it is all you have. You have Christ, your supreme Treasure.

For the lazy "Christian": Pay very close attention to what Paul is saying. He is not saying that a mere "sinners prayer" has saved you, and you can therefore continue with the life you intend to live. Paul is not suggesting that you have a secular lifestyle with a Christian flavor to it. Start with verse 23 and go backwards. If you are not hoping in the Gospel daily but rather shifting from it; if you are not stable and steadfast; if you are not continuing in faith in Christ daily; then you are not holy, blameless, or above reproach before Christ. If you are not holy, blameless, or above reproach before Christ, then you are not reconciled in Christ's death. If you are not reconciled in Christ's death...you are not saved! Repent and believe and be saved.

The point is, you must continue daily in faith and reliance upon Christ as your Savior, Lord, and Treasure. By faith you will be made into the likeness of Jesus Christ, the most supreme and spectacular human ever to live. You will be transformed into the image of your hero through God's power in you!

Oh dear Christian, devote your entire life to knowing and mimicking Jesus. Study Him. Talk with Him. Talk about Him. Introduce Him to others. Savor and treasure Him.

when everything in your life fails...rejoice

2007-05-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places." Habakkuk

We lost our job. We failed our driver's test. We failed fourth period Algebra. Our beloved mother passed away. Our best friend deserted us. No one seems to like you. Everyone seems to pick on you. You don't think you are good at much. Your boyfriend left you to go with a "prettier" girl. She turned you down. Your brother has cancer. Your brother died in the war. The pain of this life is great and our hearts cry out with booming accord, "What is the purpose in this?" "Why me?" We come up empty and realize we have no stamina to endure.

In the face of every possible heartbreak and evil, God stands with an outstretched arm ordering and guiding all things according to His wise and perfect will. All things happen according to his providence whether it be the shootings at Virginia Tech, the Holocaust, or your failure. Notice how Habakkuk responds to heartbreak and difficulty: "...yet I will rejoice in the LORD." Rejoicing is rooted in joy, therefore Habakkuk continues, "I will take joy in the God of my salvation." Joy in the midst of sorrow and failure. Joy in the midst of pain and suffering. Rejoicing flowing from deep joy can happen because "GOD, the Lord, is [your] strength."

Joy leading to rejoicing will never happen in your life, whether in sorrow or in happiness, whether in pain or in pleasure, unless your joy is GOD. If you rely on your own strength to pull you through your best friend's rejection, your loss of a loved one, or your failure, you will have no joy. Yet, if you find your strength in "[your] exceeding joy" (Ps. 43:4), namely God, your joy will overflow in all circumstances.

Here is one simple thing we can all work on that is very practical. Every time we find ourselves complaining, pouting, grieving, yelling, pushing, slapping, feeling self-pity, retreating, etc., train your mind to go to "[your] exceeding joy." Train your mind to reflect on Christ and who He is and what He has done for you. Train your mind to reflect on your identity in Christ, who He has made you. Then, allow the truth of who God is and who you are as His child lead you appropriately with joy. And then, when that joy is tested three seconds later and you feel horrible again...go to "[your] exceeding joy," and repeat the process.

Dear child of God, your strength is feeble and weak, yet God's is strong. He will provide for you. That most valuable provision is Himself, the Sustainer of all. May you find joy in Him that informs the way you respond to life.

TRIPLE Cs AND ROBOTRIPPING

2007-05-14T09:23:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

On Thursday, May 10th, nine Pine Richland students were caught "high" on over-the-counter medicine. Five of the nine students were admitted to the hospital. All nine of the students face suspension and possible expulsion and criminal charges. May these students be in our prayers as they face the repercussions of their actions.

Triple Cs and robotripping are serious issues. What these terms refer to is when over-the-counter "Triple Cs" (dextromethorphan or DXM), an oral cough suppressant is added to or consumed with "Robo" or Robitussin. When taken in large amounts, these drugs can produce feelings of euphoria and cause hallucinations. According to http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=33329 the abuse of these potent drugs can result in "confusion, impaired judgment, blurred vision, dizziness, paranoia, excessive sweating, slurred speech, seizures, fever, and nausea and vomiting." The improper use and abuse of these drugs can kill you. Some common names for these killers are Skittles, Red Devils, Robo or Triple Cs.

Recently I heard an interesting comment in a conversation about teenage depression and drug use. It was noted that "boredom" is the main reason why students are experimenting with these types of drugs. Boredom? I think there is great wisdom behind this statement.

In our fast-paced, wealthy, suburban, North Hills lifestyle, many students are carted from one sports/school activity to the next, spending the in between time mesmerized by video games, DVDs, music, excessive Internet use, texting, and many other activities (none of which are bad or evil in and of themselves). Moments of quiet are sparse. After a while, pleasures lead them to the point of boredom because the pleasure never fills, leaving them with emptiness and a heightened need for stimulation. The absence of silence and stillness pushes them aggressively into dangerous curiosity.

Mix this need for stimulation/pleasure with the absence of Biblical study, reflection, and prayerful meditation, you have a ticking time bomb. Many students in our schools are "spiritual anorexics" and have little to no Scriptural diet. Why would they when "spiritual things" seem boring and irrelevant?

My heart goes out to the students and their families that have been touched by the poisoned lure of drugs. What can we do to respond? How can we help? I guess my answer is simple yet holds the power of God. Pray and help point those students and their families in the direction of the cross. Our response to families influenced by drugs should be to reveal the supreme pleasure of knowing and following Jesus Christ. He is the answer. Drugs are influential in our society because Jesus Christ is not savored and treasured as the supreme pleasure. Drugs lose their impact when Christ is tasted and known for the supreme King and Savior that He is.

Christian students can respond with grace and kindness to other students who have used drugs or been affected by them by pointing them to Jesus. A mere explanation of why you don't use drugs can be encouraging to others if it is done with kindness and rooted in the Gospel.

Dear God, please in your kindness and favor reveal your glorious grace to the nine students from Pine Richland. Reveal Jesus Christ as the supreme treasure and pleasure of their lives and free them from their bondage. In Jesus Christ's name. Amen.

WHAT WE WIN THEM WITH, WE WIN THEM TO

2007-05-08T05:42:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Student Ministry is a very interesting endeavor, especially within the United States. What would a Student Ministry look like in Africa? China? Ethiopia? South Korea? I wonder what Student Ministry looks like in a culture that does not have money like the consumer-driven culture of America. I wonder if the pull or attraction to our Student Ministries in the American Church is popularity, fun, music, friends, acceptance, the "I can live the life I want to live, but go to church on Sundays in order to be safe from hell because I prayed a prayer" mentality, OR the joy of knowing and treasuring the truth; Christ. Could it be true that "what we win them with, we win them to?"

If you stop and think about it, this old quote is probably true. If the allure of Student Ministry is the Wii, flat screen TVs, loud bands, coffee shops, and games [which are certainly attractive to students], I think we ultimately produce consumers not Christians. Yet, if the allure of Student Ministry is experiencing a holy God, growing in solid knowledge of Him, communing with other students [and a church family] that are interested in truth, justice, peace, grace, forgiveness, righteousness, holiness, etc., enjoying a community of people that loves each other, knowing true Christ-centered worship, and having a sweet time doing all of it, we produce radical and effective Christlike men and women who are driven by a cause...the Gospel.

I read a very interesting article entitled For More Teens, Jesus Is Way Cool (http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Beliefs/story?id=1403056). The following excerpt was taken from the article:

"Wendy Schuman, an editor at Beliefnet.com, says that faith is a lot more nuanced for many teens than it is for their elders, especially when it comes to hot-button topics like abortion and homosexuality. 'They don't always tow the party line,' she said. 'They can't see Christian faith quite as monolithic as it might seem. There's a huge middle ground.'" I understand that there are some grey issues, judgment calls if you will. However, God had something very specific and direct to say about those standing in the middle. "So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth (Revelation 3:16)." Either your life is consumed by the power and majesty of Christ, or you are against Him. There is no middle ground. Can faith be nuanced? Isn't Christianity monolithic? Much of Student Ministry in America focuses on students as consumers and crafts ministry more towards the students' "felt needs" than to the Bible. We try to fit God's Word into a marketable package that will appeal to students. Then what happens is the package appeals, and not Christ. We win them with marketing only to convert them into nothing.

Lynn Schofield-Clark who studies youth culture, marketing, and religion at the University of Colorado's School of Journalism said, "It goes back to the roots of Christianity ... how to make faith relevant within the context of capitalism." Christ is always relevant to every culture in every time. We as Christians have an easy job: represent the truth faithfully. One of the joys of Christianity is that we don't need to market it, it markets itself if it has been communicated faithfully.

I hope that NPC Student Ministry is growing and learning how to reveal and unpack the "unfathomable riches of Christ" for students in a way that captures their attention and shows the magnificence and supremacy of God. I trust we will not raise youth to be like the people hearing the Gospel in Luke 8:14, "And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature."

God, would you please bless NPC and its Student Ministry with the reality of your strength and superiority over all the "pleasures" of this life. May a spiritual awakening break out in the hearts of our youth! In the Name of our King, Jesus Christ. Amen.

HANGING WITH THEM OR WITH HIM

2007-05-02T05:50:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Relationships with friends can be really tricky. Sometimes the relationships are going so well you are overwhelmed with joy and excitement just to hang out with your friends. There are other times you feel like locking yourself in your room never to come out again remaining self-sufficient in your own hideaway. Sometimes you wonder if there are any relationships that are steady and strong. My guess from experience is that there are NO relationships that are completely steady and strong all the time. Relationships have ups and downs.

Who your friends are is really important. Yeah, I have heard the whole thing, "Well, I hang out with them so I can be a good influence on them." And for sure, this can be true. But I know that if the majority of your time is spent with people into "negative" stuff, after a while you get tired of resisting temptation and they become more of an influence on you than you are on them. I think that "witnessing" or "influencing" our friends who don't know Christ can be done more effectively if you are encouraged from strong, Christ-centered relationships and even if you are teaming up on them together, as Christians. Beware of who you spend most of your time with. Our flesh is weak.

When the actor Chris Rock was asked, "What did your parents tell you that you never believed--until now", Chris answered, "My mother always said association brings assimilation, meaning you will act like the people you hang around." It is very hard for a teenager to hang around their friends when they use drugs and alcohol and keep clean. Soon you get tired of saying no and looking like the odd man/woman out. You may cave. You may not cave, but the pressure certainly is not helping you remain strong. Sometimes there is even guilt by association. It is very hard for a teenager, or anyone, to be in a dating relationship where physical intimacy is a pressure applied. Soon sinful physical intimacy becomes too attractive. You may cave. You may not. That's risky.

Will Smith had an interesting quote: “The best thing that anybody ever said to me is that you’re only as good as the people you associate with. Look at the five friends that you spend the most time with—that’s who you are.” It's too bad that Will didn't say that the Gospel was the best thing, but his point should be thought about. Though I don't think this is always true, it is very thought provoking!

I guess the most important thing in life to realize when it comes to relationships is that if you "rub shoulders" with Christ often, you indeed will be more like Him. Jesus is the only man (God-man) that will give us total and complete consistency. He'll never be a bad friend. If we hang out with him (deep Bible study and prayer; worship) and value Him as our best friend, He will honor His invitation to us for the biggest and best party ever thrown. Eternity with Him.

I challenge you to evaluate your friends. Ask you parents about what they see in your friends. Think. Never turn your mind off. Never just go with the flow, but discern the flow and if it is good, then go with it.

Would anyone be willing to post some thoughts on friendship. Can be good things, bad things, even funny things. Do share!

SAVORING AND TREASURING CHRIST THROUGH VICTORY OVER ABORTION

2007-04-23T07:45:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

In a November, 2003 study by George Barna entitled "Morality Continues to Decay", an interesting statistic arises. Of the Mosaic generation (currently 18-19 years of age), 55% view abortion as an acceptable, moral practice. This certainly shows that the abortion rate in our country is severe. What is God thinking? Are our youth thinking about the epidemic problem of abortion through Biblical lenses? Have any of our students, or church body, had abortions? What are we doing to fight for life?

During Sanctity of Life Week, Student Ministry did a short lesson on the sanctity of life and abortion. We handed out little, pink, plastic, replica babies (they were a little odd, but pretty cool) that were a reminder of the incredible process of life. Life is very important to God and should be greatly valued. I believe that life begins at conception. I also believe that abortion is murder. Children are not a curse, but rather a wonderful gift from God.

I would like to comment briefly on two things: (1) How to spiritually heal after having an abortion; (2) How to help one of your friends spiritually heal after having an abortion.

Will God ever forgive me if I've had an abortion? I guess forgiveness will never come if you don't deeply feel the need for it. The first step to spiritually healing after aborting your child is to recognize the abortion as sinful and displeasing to the LORD. Remorse and recognition sets the stage for the brilliant and wonderful play of grace to unfold. God as the supreme actor will act, and remove your sorrow. Repentance and faith are integral to forgiveness. When one recognizes their sin, tells it to God, He listens. Then, by exercising faith in Christ alone, one can trust completely in His ability to remove your crimson stains.

A beautiful aspect of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is trading your rags for riches. You receive a pure white robe of Christ's righteousness, in exchange for your muddy and dirty clothes. He takes the sin of abortion in your life, and enables you to spiritually heal through His touch of grace, and then equips you to help others receive and experience His fabulous grace and mercy.

God may have allowed your abortion because it showcased His marvelous grace in order for someone else to be spared and saved from sin. Paul says in Romans 8:28, "for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." If you love God with all your heart, He can redeem even abortion. Though the act is sinful, God can work it together for His good. And He will; just be pliable and humble and fall at Christ's feet!

What do I say to my friend who had an abortion? Some of you students may know people who have had an abortion. What do you say to them? I suggest that you do these several simple steps to be used as an instrument of God in the life of your friend. (1) Ask them questions about how they have dealt with their abortion. How do they feel? Do they wrestle with guilt? Have they been depressed at all? Have they told their parents? Show your friend legitimate and sincere concern for what they went through. (2) If they have struggled with guilt or depression, ask them questions about what hope they have and what they turn to for stability. Talk to your friend about why they feel guilty or depressed. Possibly share what has led you to feel guilty or depressed. (3) Tell your friend that there is hope. Point them to the Gospel of Christ. Explain for them how God took away your sin and how by faith He will take away theirs.

I think one of the most profound times for you to minister and evangelise is when people are suffering or going through pain. The Christian has the best answer of all: Christ! If you know of someone who has had an abortion, and has been fairly open about it with you, seize the opportunity to draw a connection between their sin and the Gospel. Help them understand that no matter what they have done, they can be washed clean.

If you would like to refer a friend to the Pregnancy Care Center, it would be a wonderful place for them to gain counseling or receive a referral of a place to seek Godly help. Maybe you have a friend at school that just found out they are pregnant and are considering an abortion. Here is some information of a wonderful place where they can get some help: http://www.pregnancycareinfo.org/

Abortion will decrease in our society when people realize that Christ is King and that He values life, therefore they should value life. Loving Christ more than anything is really the answer to everything; even abortion.

WHAT'S BEING TAUGHT AT 24SEVEN?

2007-04-18T05:06:00.000-07:00

Here is the schedule for the remaining 24Sevens...and then soon after this the Summer schedule starts! Get ready.

ONLY 4 MORE 24Sevens!

SERIES: Songs of the Heart and Personal Evangelism

(April 22th) How Great is Our God by Chris Tomlin--Jonathan

(April 29th) I Stand Amazed (How Marvelous) by Edwin O. Excell, Charles Hutchison Gabriel--Grant

(May 6th) Jesus Paid It All arranged by Kristian Stanfill--Josh Shull and Wes Uhler

(May 13) NO 24SEVEN DUE TO MOTHER'S DAY!

(May 20th) You Never Let Go by Matt Redman--Jonathan

SAVORING AND TREASURING CHRIST THROUGH VICTORY OVER SEXUAL MOLESTATION

2007-04-17T05:48:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Sexual molestation can be devastating and debilitating for families; I have seen the effects in my own family. People are deeply wounded by sexual molestation. One of the most precious and intimate things to a person is there sexuality, and when it is abused by others, deeply spiritual and psychological repercussions follow. Sexual abuse is very serious.

Some of the statistics are startling. From the following site (http://www.rasac.org/education/statistics.html#01), around 95% of victims know their perpetrators. Many victims have close relationships with those who abuse them. The pressure to conceal the matter can be intense. "Sexual assault continues to represent the most rapidly growing violent crime in America, claiming a victim every 4 seconds. Over 61% of female victims are under the age of 18…” This is a problem that must be addressed.

I believe that within the church, many sins are severely hidden, underneath layers upon layers of guilt and lies. Certain things are never spoken about, and the pain is therefore magnified exponentially. When things are brushed under the rug, the grace of God is never magnified and healing is never attained. Instead, anger, resentment, bitterness, fear, and even more outward sins of murder or perpetual sexual molestation where it is passed from the perpetrator to the victim, and the victim grows into the perpetrator.

What can be done? What happens if you are a victim of sexual molestation? What if you have been taken advantage of? How should you feel? What should you do? Who will accept you? Will anyone really want to listen? Can you ever be happy again?

The Bible is clear that whatever has happened to you is redeemable. Nothing is too radical, violent, or deep to fall outside of Christ's cleansing blood. The idea of the substitutionary atonement is that Christ was our substitute. He died in our place. And that death, that crucifixion, is sufficient to wash away any guilt, pain, anger, resentment, etc.

Those who have been sexually molested many times have seething anger and bitterness toward their perpetrator. Hebrews 12:12-15, "Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no 'root of bitterness' springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled..."

Is anyone holy enough for heaven? If you don't have a certain holiness, you will never see the Lord. That holiness comes from Christ. He is the only one that was holy to the core. So, no matter what has happened to us or what we have done, we are only able to see the Lord if we are holy as He is holy; namely, made holy by grace through faith in Jesus.

Paul writes in Ephesians 4:31-32, "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." This is the clincher. If you get anything, this is important. How can bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice be put away in the face of sexual molestation? How is forgiveness possible if someone has robbed you of your innocence through sexual molestation? Is forgiveness possible?

Here is where the Bible is clear, and difficult, but right and true. Kindness should flow from us in love and tenderheartedness even for those who have deeply wounded us. There is no limit. Forgiveness is the Christian norm, it is expected, it is cherished. Why? You better stretch before this one! Because Christ forgave you. Forgiveness flows from Christ's actions. We cannot forgive unless we have experienced the forgiving grace of God. I don't believe we can effectively forgive unless we realize the deep rebellion of our own hearts. When we functionally and practically realize that "If not for the grace of God, so goeth I", then we can openly extend grace to others.

Christ is so radical that He says that if you don't forgive, you will not be forgiven (Matthew 6:14-15, "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.").

I think your joy is attached to forgiveness. The victory over bitterness and anger stemming from sexual molestation is found in Christ and His forgiveness of you, and then in turn, your forgiveness of others. And when you do this, you savor and treasure Jesus Christ. Christ can be your joy even though you have been sexually abused. He washes you. He redeems you. He gives you robes of pure white. You are beautiful in His sight, because of what He has done for you; all out of immense love. You can be happy again, in Christ. You become like Him through His Spirit's power. You share in His heart, mind, message, and actions.

Before you carry the burden of hate along with you for the entirety of your life, consider Jesus' view towards you! Your sin contributed to His execution and He doesn't hate you. He has forgiven you. He has taken the wrath and fury of God upon Himself; and you're the murderer! Do as Christ and forgive. Savor and treasure Christ through victory over anger, bitterness, resentment, and regret from sexual molestation.

***If you have been sexually molested, please seek help by reporting the occurrence(s) to your pastor, a Christian counselor, or someone that you can trust. This is a serious offense and should be disclosed. The loving thing to do is tell someone and seek help for the perpetrator. May God fill you with grace!

2007-04-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

Savoring and Treasuring Christ through Victory Over Physical Abuse
by deborah mckinney

It may come as a surprise, but more and more children, teens, women, and men are victims of family violence. Physical abuse is rampant and is certainly not declining. While it is believed that only a small percentage of cases are actually reported – the statistics that are available reveal a disturbing picture of the American family. In a national survey of more than 6,000 American families, 50 percent of the men who frequently assaulted their wives also frequently abused their children.1

The Victims of Physical Abuse - Who are they and how are they affected by it?

Studies indicate that between 3.3 million and 10 million children are exposed to domestic violence annually.1 Most children subjected to physical abuse are being abused by family members or close friends. Children who witness domestic violence may develop serious emotional, behavioral, developmental, or academic problems. As children, they may become violent themselves, or withdraw. Some act out at home or school; others try to be the perfect child. Children from violent homes may become depressed and have low self-esteem. As they develop, children and teens that grow up with domestic violence in the household are more likely to:

Exhibit violent and aggressive behavior.
Attempt suicide.
Use and abuse drugs.
Commit crimes, especially sexual assault.
Become abusers in their own relationships later in life. 2

Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the United States; more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined.3
Girls who reported that they had been sexually or physically abused were more than twice as likely as nonabused girls to report smoking (26% versus 10%), drinking (22% versus 12%), and using illegal drugs (30% versus 13%). In addition, 32 percent of girls who had been abused reported bingeing and purging, compared to 12 percent of girls who had not been abused. 4

While physical abuse is in large part experienced by women, there is also a growing number of men who are being abused by their wives as well. Some researchers say that men are less likely to report physical abuse because of embarrasment, so while the closest estimate is that 15% of victims of physical abuse are men, the figure may actually be much higher than that.

Physical Abuse Defined

So what defines physical abuse? Wikipedia defines it as: abuse involving contact intended to cause pain, injury, or other physical suffering or harm. Basic forms include:

striking
punching
pushing, pulling
slapping
striking with an object
pinching
kicking
having someone fall
kneeing
strangling
drowning
sleep deprivation
exposure to cold, freezing
exposure to heat or radiation, burning
exposure to electric shock
placing in "stress positions" (tied or otherwise forced)
cutting or otherwise exposing somebody to something sharp
exposure to a dangerous animal
throwing or shooting a projectile
exposure to a toxic substance
infecting with a disease
witholding food or medication

How can you recognize abuse?

Abuse is identifiable as being cyclical in two ways; it is both generational and episodic. Generational cycles of abuse are passed down, by example and exposure, from parents to children. A child who is abused by a parent will often treat his or her own children in the same way. In a similar way, a child who witnesses a parent abusing the other parent will potentially learn to treat their future spouse in an abusive way.
Episodic abuse occurs in a repeating pattern and it may involve spousal abuse, child abuse, or even elder abuse. Episodic abuse is displayed in a cylclical way with 4 primary cycles. This is why it is often confusing to the victim as to what is happening, and is difficult for a victim of abuse to escape or confront the abuser.

First Stage : Major abusive behavior (Physical or verbal)

Second Stage : Period of remorse (Abusive individual goes to great lengths to seek forgiveness)

Third Stage : Period of “normalcy” – Abuser will appear to live out their promise to change.

Fourth Stage : Tension replaces normalcy. Irritability follows, and eventually escalates into full-blown abuse once again.6

Victims of abuse will often display unexplained bruises and welts, unexplained fractures/dislocations, unexplained burns, as well as bald patches on the scalp. Behavioral indicators may include feeling deserving of punishment, apprehensiveness when others cry, behavioral extremes (aggressiveness/withdrawal), afraid to go home, vacant or frozen stare, indiscriminately seeking affection, shows sudden changes in behavior or school performance, or displays a poor concept of self.
Abusers will often offer conflicting, unconvincing, or no explanation for an injury of the victim, will describe the victim as “evil” or in some other very negative way, use harsh physical discipline with a child, or has a history or abuse as a child.

What does the Bible Say about Physical Abuse and How We Should Respond?

• We should treat others with respect, as we want them to treat us (Matthew 7:12).
• We should love others sacrificially, even to the point of laying down our lives for them (John 15:13).
• The Bible is a history of redemption. God can move in the heart of any person, no matter how wicked, and make him a new creature in Christ. And He will use other people in this process-to help show an ungodly person his need for salvation.
• We should not seek revenge, but return a blessing for an insult (1 Peter 3:9).
• We should "never pay back evil for evil to anyone" (Romans 12:17).
• We should submit to and comply with government laws (Romans 13:1-10, 1 Peter 2:13-17).
• We should involve others in confronting the sin of a brother in Christ (Matthew 18:15-17).
• We should involve the leaders of the local church when a sinning brother refuses to respond (Matthew 18:17). 7

When it comes to physical abuse (or any kind of abuse for that matter!) the response is clear. We need to seek to eliminate it from marriages, families, and every interpersonal relationship. Just like every other sin, Physical Abuse grieves and angers God. As Christians we need to take a stand for families, both within and without the church who are suffering from abuse. And, while the problem, sadly, is more common that you may realize – it is our responsibility to protect the abused, and to actively fight against this sin. How?

If you suspect you or someone you know is experiencing physical abuse FamilyLife has produced a valuable mini book, A Way of Hope, that includes information for those in abusive situations. The following is adapted from that text by Leslie J. Barner:

1: Recognize the need for change. Because the pattern of abuse repeats itself, it can often be confusing as to what is actually going on. Particularly if the abuser is in the second and third stages and the abuse is not evident at the time.

2: Seek outside help and guidance (Matthew 18:17)

3. Encourage the victim to rely on God – build up your relationship with Him! There is a peace and joy that only God can give you. John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.” God is interested in each life, and desires a close relationship.

4. Determine your level of danger and develop a safety plan. Now that you have acknowledged the problem and realize that there is a need change, the victim must determine whether or not their safety is at risk. Remember though, that if the victim decides the situation is unsafe, after leaving, the abuser must be encouraged to seek the help they need.

5. Move toward reconciliation. Reconciliation in cases of domestic violence is a long and difficult process. But God is the God of reconciliation. He can shine light on even the darkest of hearts. However, reconciliation should be sought with the help of others.8

1 Strauss, Murray A, Gelles, Richard J., and Smith, Christine. 1990. Physical Violence in American Families; Risk Factors and Adaptations to Violence in 8,145 Families. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers.

2 “The Facts on Children and Domestic Violence,” Family Violence Prevention Fund, www.endabuse.org (20 April 2006).

3 “Domestic Violence and Abuse: Types, Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Effects,” http://www.helpguide.org/mental/domestic_violence_abuse_types_signs_causes_effects.htm#results

4 "Violence Against Women, A Majority Staff Report," Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, 102nd Congress, October 1992, p.3.

5 Schoen, C., Davis, K., Collins, K., Greenberg, L., Des Roches, C., Abrams, M. 1997. The Commonwealth Fund Survey of the Health of Adolescent Girls. The Commonwealth Fund. New York, NY.

6 “Cycle of Abuse,”http://www.allaboutlifechallenges.org/cycle-of-abuse-faq.htm

7 “How Do I Respond to Physical Abuse Against Me or My Children?”-By Dennis Rainey, www.familylife.com

8 “How Do I Respond to Physical Abuse Against Me or My Children?”-By Dennis Rainey, www.familylife.com

SAVORING AND TREASURING CHRIST THROUGH VICTORY OVER INCEST

2007-04-02T04:48:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

There are not many topics that are more taboo than incest. However, the problem of incest still exists (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/24/AR2005042401406.html) and in some cases it is lobbied for (Cousins United to Defeat Discriminating Laws through Education or "C.U.D.D.L.E."). I think it will be helpful and challenging to make three moves in this article: (1) define incest; (2) Incest from the parent's perspective; (3) Incest from the child's perspective.

DEFINE INCEST: According to http://www.dictionary.com/, incest is "1. sexual intercourse between closely related persons. 2. the crime of sexual intercourse, cohabitation, or marriage between persons within the degrees of consanguinity [close relationship] or affinity wherein marriage is legally forbidden." In Leviticus 18:6, Moses writes, "None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to uncover nakedness. I am the LORD." God directly commands to stay clear of sexual relations with close relatives. Well, the question arises, "What does 'close' mean?" Moses continues to explain this (I suggest reading Leviticus 18). The Word of God is very clear.

The state of Pennsylvania is also very clear. According to state law, prohibited relationships include "Ancestor or descendant, a brother or sister of whole or half-blood, or an uncle, aunt, nephew, or niece of whole blood." Pennsylvania also declares that marriage, cohabitation, and sexual intercourse are illegal within the stated "prohibited relationships." If one so chooses to disobey the law, Pennsylvania considers it a second degree felony which warrants series repercussions.

One other thing may be helpful to note. Though sexual relations with relatives may be rare, there may be a higher percentage of people who struggle with "incestuous lust." The mind is so quick and powerful and many times filled with shameful, disgusting, and frightening thoughts. These thoughts are severe and quite serious and should be handled by repentance and faith, just as the actual act of incest should be handled.

The remainder of this article will address "incestuous lust" rather than incest itself. The reason for this is that incest is very clear in Leviticus 18 (read it) and Pennsylvania state law. But, incestuous lust is not spoken about as clearly and is most likely more common than incest itself (how could you really tell if someone struggled with incestuous lust if they didn't tell you). Therefore, I think incestuous lust may hit closer to home.

INCEST FROM A PARENT'S PERSPECTIVE: Incest is many times thought of in terms of parents and children, but is much more broad (close relatives). I will handle incestuous lust mostly from parent to child.

It is understandable how a parent could struggle with incestuous lust for their children or close relatives. This may be a shocking statement, but I think that the wickedness of the human heart is far more severe than we think (Genesis 6:5; Jeremiah 4:14; Matthew 15:19-20). We say we believe in depravity, but do we mean it? It is likely that even at North Park Church we have fathers who have struggled with lust toward their daughters. It is possible that at North Park Church we have mothers that are emotionally attached, in an unhealthy way, to their sons. How could this possibly be?

Just like sin in other areas, we take something good and distort it. In the case of incestuous lust, we objectify the person, and are drawn merely to the outward appearance. It is common that many parents have beautiful children, and parents most commonly recognize that beauty in a very healthy way, like a parent should. But what happens if sexuality runs wild and is not tamed within the parent? Well, what happens is that healthy recognition of beauty can turn to very unhealthy and ugly attraction; namely incestuous lust. When the heart is not kept in check, the horrendous depths of sin spiral out of control.

I can imagine that great shame, disgust, anger, guilt, etc. would dwell in the heart of a parent struggling with incestuous lust. What hope could they possibly have? God's grace is surely not sufficient enough to cover something as hideous as incestuous lust? Well, I believe God's grace runs that deep...and then deeper. Ephesians 1:7-8 states, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight." The beauty of the gospel is that God clears us of every single horrid thought that enters into our minds! We are free! No more bondage! We are justified by grace through faith. Christ is our advocate and His blood is sufficient, in every way, to cleanse us from ALL our unrighteousness; even incestuous lust.

Dear parent, if you wrestle with the sin of incestuous lust, take hope in the gospel of Christ and know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God will vindicate the wicked by grace through faith in His Son's death and resurrection. Repentance and faith. Repentance and faith.

INCEST FROM THE CHILD'S PERSPECTIVE: Again, incest is not merely parents and children. Incest extends to close relatives.

Though I think incestuous lust in a child for their parent is rare (though I believe it exists), I think a more common problem would be incestuous lust for siblings. Is it possible for a 19 year old male to recognize that his sister, or step-sister (sharing a common father, but not mother), is beautiful? Yes. I think that it is good if a brother healthily notices the beauty of his sister. Is it also possible that this healthy recognition of beauty can turn incestuous when the heart is unchecked and without parameters? Yes. This is exactly what happened to David's son Amnon is 2 Samuel 13. In fact, Amnon was so taken by his beautiful sister that he made himself physically ill!

Incest and incestuous lust are simply the product of a healthy sexual desire turned unhealthy or sinful. Sexual desire is a gift from God, and should be delighted in only as it was intended by God. But when this sexual desire turns from Christ-centered and God-honoring, to selfish and depraved, anything can happen. Incestuous lust is linked to untempered sexual desire.

The Biblical answer to incest and incestuous lust, both for the parent and child, is quite simple. Your heart is depraved and "desperately sick" (Jeremiah 17:9) and in great need of the gospel. Christ is the answer. His vindication and acquittal is quick and complete as His blood covers the multitude of sins that you commit daily. Repentance [turning] of your sin and faith in Jesus is the only answer. If you flee to the cross of Christ, you are free. Maybe as Christians, maybe the Church, looks for fancy and flashy answers to our fickle and faulty condition, when the answer is right before us:

SAVOR AND TREASURE CHRIST ABOVE ALL THINGS through faith.

Ephesians 4:1-3, "...walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

SAVORING AND TREASURING CHRIST THROUGH VICTORY OVER AGNOSTICISM AND ATHEISM

2007-03-26T05:34:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

Church is not just a place for Christians! I believe that several, if not many people within North Park Church are not saved at all. Each sermon and song is evangelism. And if I am correct in my thinking, there are probably agnostics and atheists within the Church. I also believe that there are probably students within our Student Ministry at NPC that are struggling with agnosticism and atheism. The reality is that when some (if not many) of our students go to college, our perception of their belief in Christ crumbles as they fall deeper into worldliness. The things of the world grab them in the gut and become "too strong" for them to resist because Christ was never their supreme value.

It may be helpful to first define the terms agnosticism and atheism. Agnosticism is: "1.
a religious orientation of doubt; a denial of ultimate knowledge of the existence of God; 'agnosticism holds that you can neither prove nor disprove God's existence' 2. the disbelief in any claims of ultimate knowledge (www.dictionary.com)." Basically, agnosticism means, "Dude, I just don't know. But what I do know is that I'm hungry."

In one of the SM programs this year, I asked the question "is there absolute truth". Do you know what the answer was from several students? The answer given was an unclear and muddled "no". Even if the students were unclear of my question or just didn't communicate well, it certainly reflects the fact that there is NOT an overwhelming, clear, perspicuous, joyous, excited cry of "yes...there is most definitely absolute truth and it is the Bible!" I think it is then fair to assume that we have agnostic students...some may live with you!

Next, atheism is: "1. the doctrine or belief that there is no God (http://www.dictionary.com/)." This system of belief basically means, "Dude, there is no God. What's for lunch?"

Is it possible that many students attend church only because their parents do? They do not really believe in God and will never return to church the moment they are free from their parents, but at least there are some hot girls or guys there. Maybe they embrace agnosticism or atheism because they don't see God in their homes or in their parents' marriages? Maybe they don't believe in God because they see how fake the Church is?

I have wrestled with both of these world views in my heart and mind. I have never embraced them, but I have wrestled with them (I had a deep and profound struggle with doubt when I was about 9 years old...ask me about it sometime). On the one hand, it is difficult to understand how anyone could choose either of these worldviews. On the other hand, it is simple to understand.

It is difficult to understand because all around us is evidence, mainly, the entire Bible. Creation is also very clear information. The Bible is a historically accurate book where the advocates of its truth died for it. Think of it this way: many men have died for something that they thought was true (they believe a lie, but nevertheless, they believed it). But I don't know of anyone in history that died for something that they new was a lie. Here is what I mean. If Christ had never died and risen from the dead, the disciples would have known it, and would have then been proclaiming a lie. If they knew the real truth, why would they have died for a cause they knew wasn't true?

It is also simple to understand why people embrace these world views: God has not opened their minds to understand it, and they don't like the thought of a Supreme Being because it makes them an inferior power and accountable to someone other than themselves. Pride strikes again. With no God there are no rules, and with no rules there is self-gratification, one of the ultimate lures of the human heart.

Romans 1:16-20 reads, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith.' For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."

Why do we have agnostics and atheists? Because unrighteousness exists. Some of our students may struggle with agnosticism and atheism because they are unrighteous; just like everyone else in the Church. They don't want the truth because they long to be free, when their true freedom lies in the truth they reject.

The Bible is clear that no one has an excuse. In fact, God says that He has given ample evidence to prove His existence. We don't need anymore evidence. We don't even need miracles because God has given us His Word, which contains miracles. The universe exists, the Word of God exists, God exists. That's what Paul is saying in Romans.

There are all kinds of Biblical texts and apologetic (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/apology definition 2) slants that are more eloquent than this blog article. Yet I pick this one passage from Romans because I think it is helpfully clear. If you are a student (or parent) that wrestles with agnosticism or atheism, I would like you to ponder Romans 1 for a while and then answer these questions:

(1) When I look around at all of creation, am I really okay believing that it arrived by chance, without purpose, leaving me a product of chance and without a purpose?
(2) Can I identify with Paul in Romans 1 when he talks about "unrighteousness"? Have I done everything in my life perfectly? If I answered no to the last question, is it possible that I'm having problems believing because I'm not perfect?
(3) On an existential level (from your experience), why is it that everywhere you turn and everything you turn to leaves you desiring something greater, more significant, more meaningful, more powerful?
(4) Would you be courageous enough to tell God that you don't believe in Him or that you're not sure, and then ask Him to reveal Himself to you in a clear way? Then, are you courageous enough to spend about 2 hours plus per week researching God in the Bible (John is a good place to start)?

I side with Paul when he says, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes..." When I lack faith, I am just pushing away truth in my own unrighteousness. But because I believe, by God's grace, the Gospel is my lifeblood. The Gospel is my hope. Christ is my King and I love Him.

I believe every Christian struggles with doubts. I do. But there is something you can do when you realize that your heart is hard and you don't believe: you repent, and then believe. Turn from your unbelief, and believe. Tell God, and believe. For God will always open the eyes of His children! Maybe you can be like the "creeped-out" father with a demon possessed son. His son would foam at the mouth and the demon within his son would throw his boy's body into fire and water to kill him. The father asks Jesus to have compassion on them and then cries out to Jesus, "I believe; help my unbelief (Mark 9:24)!" Maybe you really believe, you want to believe, but your mind is cloudy and you're frustrated. Call out to God, "help my unbelief."

Take heart, the Gospel is power and Christ is most amazing. Treasure Him through victory over your unbelief!

SAVORING AND TREASURING CHRIST THROUGH VICTORY OVER BESTIALITY

2007-03-19T05:45:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan L. Shirk

The topic of bestiality is not a popular one, and very few cases of this sin are brought to our attention. However, the sin still exists and there is still a need to address the problem. There may not be many people in our churches that struggle with this, but I'm sure there are some that sit regularly in the pew and are deeply distraught over this particular sin. What does the Bible say to help those wrestling with bestiality?

I understand that there are several things that are different in the Old Testament that have now changed because of Christ's death and resurrection. However, sin has not changed. What is called an "abomination" in the Old Testament is still considered an abomination in the New. Here is what I mean.

In Leviticus God is laying out the law for Moses. In chapter 20, we find some amazing laws set down by God Himself. These laws clarify for us many sins that the LORD finds abominable. Moses writes in verse 10, "If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death." What would happen if the death penalty was still applied to those caught in adultery today?

In the very same section of scripture, it parallels adultery with homosexual relationships. Verse 13 reads, "If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them." Homosexuality is clearly a sexual distortion and is considered sin.

Then, in a clear and relevant manner, Moses mentions bestiality. Moses writes in verses 15-16, "If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal. If a woman approaches any animal and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them." The penalty for bestiality under the old covenant was death, both for the human involved and the animal. It is important to realize that every sin listed in Leviticus 20 (many sexual) is an offense against God and is punishable; most of them by death. Moses does not label homosexuality, bestiality, or incest as a greater sin against God than dishonoring your father or mother or adultery. They are all disgraceful and deserve the full hand of God's wrath and fury.

Yet, God says some very specific, hopeful things in Leviticus 20. God communicates in verses 7-8, "Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. Keep my statutes and do them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you." The LORD sanctifies! We are made pure by the sacrifice and atonement of Christ alone; even those caught in bestiality. Amen?

God continues to communicate through Moses by saying, "You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them. But I have said to you, 'You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.' I am the LORD your God, who have separated you from the peoples (Leviticus 20:22-24)." God has elected and chosen people for Himself, and they are to be separate from the world. The other "nation" was practicing bestiality in their carnal lust, and God was very displeased. He gives a promise that His people will inherit the land (pointing to heaven). God rewards those who walk with Him faithfully. We have all failed (those who struggle with homosexuality, heterosexual lust, greed, pride, bestiality, etc.) and by God's grace, through faith in Christ alone, we can be spared from our heinous sin; even the sin of bestiality! If we repent and believe in Christ alone, we will be saved and will inherit the eternal promise land!

Moses wrote in a similar passage earlier in Leviticus, "And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is perversion (Leviticus 18:23)." Why do you think God sets bestiality as a perversion? Why does bestiality make the individual "unclean"? The Bible sets a great distinction between humans and animals. God said, "Let us make man in our image." God did not say, "Let us make animals in our image." We are the image bearers of God, thus there is a great distinction between humans and animals. God saw there was no suitable helper for Adam among the animals, so God created Eve who was very suitable. Eve was from Adam, the animals were not.

In the beginning of the Bible, God sets a beautiful picture of what marriage should be and what sex should be within marriage. Anything outside of these pure, God-ordered, Christ-centered, marital boundaries is a distortion of God's intent for sex.

Bestiality, homosexuality, incest, etc. are not difficult to understand. That may be a shocking statement, but here is what I mean. Our hearts are desperately and utterly wicked (Mark 7:21) and will naturally gravitate toward sin. We are not above any specific sin! God's grace is the sole reason that we do not all wrestle and fight with bestiality. If sexuality is used without boundaries and without limits, anyone can arrive at bestiality. When we begin to distort and misuse what God has created for good, the depth of our depravity drives us to unthinkable sin.

How does the man or woman arrive at bestiality? Simple. They feed their sexual appetite in an unhealthy manner over a period of time and God turns them over to their own lusts and passions. They are consumed with their own sexual fantasy, that most likely started at a heterosexual level. This happens with greed, power, envy, jealousy, murder, anger, lust, pride, etc.

If we have ever struggled with sinful thoughts toward animals, humans, or anything, we can savor and treasure Christ above these thoughts or actions. How? Grace. We must day by day repent and believe, and the God of all truth will purify our hearts. The Gospel should not only be spoken by the pastor on Sundays! Everyday we must preach the Gospel of Christ to ourselves! There is victory in Jesus!

1 Thessalonians 5:23, "Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

SAVORING AND TREASURING CHRIST THROUGH VICTORY OVER SIB (SELF INJURIOUS BEHAVIOR)

2007-03-19T05:39:00.000-07:00

I have written an article on this topic that is posted in the "For Parents" section of the North Park Church website. You can access the article at the following address:

http://www.northparkepc.org/students/ForParents.asp

SAVORING AND TREASURING CHRIST THROUGH VICTORY OVER HOMOSEXUALITY

2007-03-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

Homosexuality; popular topic for our culture, not so popular for the Church. The orthodox, evangelical Church doesn't seem to talk much about the inner wrestling of the soul with homosexuality. Homosexuality is mentioned in passing, but never really unpacked. Why do people struggle with homosexuality? Is it really wrong? How should we act around professing homosexuals? In our minds as Christians, does homosexuality resonnate differently than alcoholism or marital problems or greed? Is the Church "homophobic"?

What I have noticed about the topic of homosexuality is that Christians, especially men, have very little sympathy or compassion for those stuck in a homosexual lifestyle. If someone confessed to homosexuality in a small group of men, the reaction would probably be, "Uh oh, what do I do if he is attracted to me? That's just disgusting. This guy has problems!" Then, the same men laugh when telling a little story about their struggle with lust. My own heart lacks compassion toward homosexuals, and I want to grow in this area. This is not good. I think it is better if we view homosexuality through these lenses:

(1) Homosexuality is clearly a sin according to Scripture, and we should not be apologetic about our Biblical view.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

Here, Paul equates homosexuality with being "unrighteous." Homosexuals are committing sin and will not inherit the kingdom of God (at least unrepentant homosexuals); Paul is quite clear. But, before we agressively attack this sin above others, let us realize it is on the same level as those who love their self-image more than Christ (idolaters); those who sleep with the neighbor's wife (adulterers); those who drink too much (drunkards); those who illegally burn CDs (thieves); etc. It is so easy for us to say, "Hey, at least the husband who sleeps around is doing it with the opposite sex." Ah. Let's not let that thought pass without some scrutiny. Both adultery and homosexuality are equally heinous in God's eyes, as both adultery and homosexuality are distortions of sex; a misrepresentation of what beauty God intends within marriage.

1 Timothy 1:8-10, "Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for ... men who practice homosexuality... and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine."

Paul is saying that homosexuality is "disobedience." Paul is also advocating that homosexuality is "contrary to sound doctrine." Right, Biblical doctrine tells us that men should be married to women and have sexual union only within the marriage context with a spouse of the opposite sex. Clearly, homosexuality is a sin and should be avoided.

(2) Homosexuality is no more offensive or gross in God's eyes than any other sin (you may make a case for the unpardonable sin here, but I won't go into that).

James 2:10, "For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it."

The reality is that we are guilty of breaking the entire law. That, I believe, puts us all on the same playing field. Homosexuality is no more serious than our breaking of any other commandment of God.

(3) Homosexuals need grace.

Romans 3:23-24 23, "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

How is any sinner justified or acquitted? Grace as a gift from God. Therefore, it is by grace that we don't lie. It is by grace that we don't overeat. It is by grace that we don't struggle with homosexuality. It is by grace that we overcome the homosexual life. Whatever our circumstances are, we by grace are saved from sin...any sin. Redemption is found in Christ alone. Those who struggle with homosexuality are no different than anyone else. We all desperately need God's redeeming grace through Jesus Christ!

(4) Christians can be gracious and compassionate toward homosexuality and at the same time take a stand against the practice.

Colossians 4:6, "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person."

I use this verse because guys in particular really struggle with mocking homosexuality. We are not displaying Christlike humility and compassion when we poke fun at the homosexual lifestyle. In fact, we come across as abrassive, arrogant, beligerant jerks and that brings dishonor to the name of Christ. We should season our words with salt in order to win the hearts of homosexuals to freedom in Christ. We should be compassionate in order to help homosexuals face a battle that rages just as strongly as heterosexual lust.

We can take a strong stance against homosexuality, and at the same time love and show compassion for those struggling with the sin. Just like we show each other compassion and grace when someone speaks unkindly.

(5) Struggling, repentant homosexuals should find solace, support, accountability, and help within the church, not condemnation, damnation, or ostracization.

This is a tough one. What do we do with homosexuals within the Church? That is fairly easy to answer though. We love them. Notice I did not say, "We condone their lifestyle." I did not say, "We should just accept them as they are." No, we need to faithfully stand on the Word of God, yet come alongside of homosexuals to ween them off of their pleasure in sexual immorality and help them find a superior pleasure in Jesus Christ. We help them just like we help the hurting couple who is facing marriage difficulties or the teenager who is wrestling with drugs. We don't ostracize, we help with the view of reconciliation with God.

There may be several individuals within North Park Church that struggle deeply with homosexuality. Maybe several are students. Maybe some of the struggling homosexuals within North Park Church know that homosexuality is a sin, but feel like there is no where to turn or no hope for victory (my office door is always open). If this is you, here is some encouragement. You are no different than anyone else; you need grace. There is great hope in the gospel. There is victory in Jesus. I believe that God can completely rid you of this sexual sin and replace the intense sexual desires you have for the same sex with an extreme passion and contentment in Christ alone. Thus, your passionate desires for "love" and acceptance from the same sex can be completely replaced by a healthy, God-honoring, Christ-centered, Biblical, savoring and treasuring of Christ. I also believe that by grace, God can turn your attraction for a same sex relationship into a healthy attraction to the opposite sex.

Homosexuality is not in a different category than other sins. Christ's blood was just as much an atonement and propitiation for homosexuality as it was for pride. Let us labor together to open our hearts to those struggling with homosexuality and be soaked in grace and compassion. Christ can become more precious and delightful than any sexual sin, including homosexuality!