We are on the continuing journey through the Gospel of John.  This past Sunday, we looked at verses 19-34 of John 1.  We get to read about the ministry of an odd character, John the Baptist.  He hung out in the desert, wearing animal skin, and had a diet of locusts and wild honey.  That wasn't what attracted people to him, it was his message.  If you read this passage, you see that high priests in Jerusalem wanted some answers to why everyone was leaving their cities to go out into the desert to hear this odd man.  So they send delegates to find out some answers.    Three things that we can learn from this passage as it pertains to us being a witness for Jesus.

1. To be a witness, you have to realize who we are not.  They delegates were looking for the Messiah, Elijah, the Prophet.  Each time, John said that is not who I am.  We have to realize as followers of Christ, that we are nothing without the love and grace of Christ.
2.  To be a witness, you have to know who you are.  After John had answered no to their questions, the delegates couldn't return home without answers.  So they ask him who he is.  He goes all the back to the prophet Isaiah with his response.  He tells them he is a voice.  Wow, what an opportunity John had.  He could have said, I am a prophet or a great preacher.  Look at how many people have gathered to hear me and watch me baptize.  I am awesome!  But John didn't flatter himself or build up his own name.  John knew who he was, I am a voice.  He knew his role was temporary but essential.  He knew that his days are numbered.  He knew that he was to prepare the way for the coming Messiah.
3.  To be a witness, you have to point people to Jesus.  Looking at this passage about John the Baptist, here are some things that we see from his life.  John's life tells us about Jesus' greatness.  We are told about Jesus' sacrifice.  We are told of Jesus' anointing.  In essence, John's life says, its not about me, it is all about Jesus.  To sum this up:

1.  Recognize who Jesus is and who I am not
2.  Recognize my role and who you are


A father and a small boy strolled down the street in Chicago past a place where a skyscraper was being constructed.  Glancing up, they saw the men working on a high story of the building.  "What are those little boys doing up there?" asked the son.  "Those are not boys, they are grown men," replied the father.  After a pause, the son pondered, "I guess when they reach heaven there won't be anything left of them."  The nearer we come to Christ, the less others see of us and the more they see of Christ.
3.  Point others to Jesus 

God Bless

The Gospel of John

We began the study of the Gospel of John this past Sunday during our Fusion Sunday morning service.  I am really excited to begin this journey with the students.  For almost 4 years, we have gone through series about a particular subjects, studied a section of Scripture, but never went through an entire book.  This journey began for me back a couple of weeks ago, when we took a group of middle school students to Fuge camp.  The camp pastor, Tim Bertram, used the Gospel of John each night during worship.  That week revealed some things to me that I had never picked up on in reading before.  So in the weeks ahead, we are going to look at John as he revealed two specific purposes for writing this Gospel-Who Jesus is and why we should believe in Him.

Some facts about John:

In Matthew, you read the words of a believer that loves Jesus
In Mark & Luke, you read the words of writers that used some eyewitness accounts.
In John, you read the words of one of Jesus' closest friends.
John, his brother James, and Peter were the inner three of Jesus.
John's Gospel was one of the last books written in the New Testament.  John was an old man that wrote this Gospel around 70A.D.  Theologians say that John wrote this in Ephesus after the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed.
John didn't give a chronological history of Jesus: birth, life, death, resurrection.  John passionately wrote about the love of Jesus. 
  The theme for the entire Gospel of John is summed up in John 20:30-31.  John writes,

"Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;  but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name."

My prayer as we go through this Gospel is, that we will have a greater understanding of who Jesus is and that the students faith will increase, thanks to the words written in the Gospel of John.

Fabulous Life of a Teenager-A Commitment

 

When the pilot of a giant airline is speeding down the runway; there is a certain point where it staying on the ground is no longer an option.  When he crosses that line, he is committed to the air, he will take off or a disastrous crash is imminent.  The pilot can no longer change his mind he is committed.  This past Sunday, we continued the "Fabulous Life of a Teenager."  Our focus was on commitment, more importantly the commitment to Christ.  There is of course a difference between a decision and a commitment. 

The same can be said about people in the church today.  They made a decision about Christ, but have not made a commitment to Christ.  They have been sitting there gunning their engines, making noise but getting nowhere.  They have been planning on it, meaning to, wanting to, trying to, going to, aiming to, hoping to. But tragedy of tragedies, they have never got off the ground.  My last post, I ended it with Romans 12:1-2 where Paul writes,

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

It is impossible to be "sort of committed."  You are either committed or you are not committed.  To commit ourselves to God means that we are to yield ourselves to him, surrender to him, abandon ourselves to him, entrust ourselves to him and place ourselves at his disposal.

There are two clear calls to commitment that every believer has to face.

1.  Commitment to Personal Growth-we are called to commit ourselves as disciples.  Disciples are learners.  Make a commitment to continue to grow spiritually.  Start a Bible reading plan, set aside time each day to pray, read good Christian literature, and find yourself a small group or Bible study.  Never give up learning.

2.   Commitment to the Local Body-the local church gathers for worship, teaching, and fellowship to gain power to carry out the ministry as we scatter to the various places of responsibility in the world.  It is getting involved in the life of the church.  Get involved by serving somewhere in the church.

God Bless,

Billy

Fabulous Life of a Teenager-Peer Pressure

I began a study this past Sunday entitled, "Fabulous Life of a Teenager."  Over the next several weeks we will look at the things that impact the lives of today's teenager.  One of the biggest challenges for today's teen is peer pressure.  Even though everyone deals with some kind of peer pressure, I wanted to focus in on the things that teenagers are pressured into. Teenagers are pressured in the clothes they wear, the things they do, and the friends they have.  Everyone wants to feel that they belong, the sad part is that teenagers will do things that they know is wrong just to receive acceptance from a group of their peers.  In the weeks to come our student ministry will look at Scripture to see what God says to us.  Parents, the good news is that, you are the biggest influence on your teen when they are dealing with peer pressure.  My prayer is that God is the focus during some hard conversations that you have with your teenager. 

 Scripture gives us the answer to dealing with the things of the world, in Romans 12:1-2 is says,

 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Billy Edwards
Student Pastor
Eastside Community Church

Fabulous Life of a Teenager

Over the next several weeks, the Fusion Student Ministries, will be covering a topic that NO student can say, "that doesn't apply to me and my life."  During our Fusion service on Sundays @ 11am, we will be looking at the struggles of today's teenagers and the responsibility that God has given to each of His children, even teenagers.  One thing that I have discovered during my research for this study, there are things that today's teen has to deal with that I didn't when I was their age.  Each week, I will be posting information and thoughts about the subject that we focused on the previous Sunday. 

Please be in prayer for this series and for the students that will hear it.  That God will work in the lives and hearts of Eastside's teenagers. 

God Bless,
Billy Edwards

High School Basketball Night

Starting Thursday, March 21st, Fusion Student Ministries is having a weekly get together for high school guys to come and play some basketball.  We will be getting together at Kit Carson Elementary from 6-8pm. 

New Small Group Study & a Fusion First

We are at the end of "Defining Moments," the first church-wide campaign at Eastside.  I have enjoyed the discussions that have come inside of the middle school boys small group.  As I began to look for what's next to study as a student ministry, I began to think about what is typically missing in the Christian walk of a teenager.  After spending several days searching, I came across a study that I feel is something that can drastically impact the life of each of the students, if they will dive into this study.  The title of this study is, "Sticky Faith." Starting on Wednesday, April 17th, we will begin the 8-week study that will begin to show students Biblical disciplines and study helps, so they can learn to memorize Scripture.  Each week, we will begin our Wednesday night with a time of worship.  Then, we will break into small groups, we may even mix up the groups for this study.  Our Wednesday nights begin at 6:15pm.  If your are a middle school or high school student, come join us and be a part of a small group.

On April 19-20, we will be having a DNOW Lock-in at Eastside Community Church.  The event kicks of at 6pm on Friday night with an amazing worship service.  The Bible study that we will be having is, "I AM JONAH."  We are going to have games, we are going to have food, but most importantly, we are going to take a hard look at the story of Jonah and how our lives have a lot of similarities with his.  There will be three breakouts, with a small group time afterwards.  The lock-in will end around 6pm on Saturday evening.  There is a cost, it is $20 per student, that will pay for food, study curriculum, and a t-shirt.  I have send invitations to youth groups around Madison County and we want students to invite their friends.  The goal for this event is, for students to see that God has BIG plans for them and what are they running from.