Many people have been asking about Awanita, our annual fall retreat. After meeting with NSBC Leadership Team, we made a decision not to go this year. We know Awanita has been a tradition at NSBC for many years, but we made this decision ultimately for the benefit of families and also for the benefit of the church staff.
How does this decision benefit families? Good question. Over the past few years NSBC has changed tremendously and we are doing more than ever locally and internationally. Next summer Submerge, Shake –n- Shine, and Emerge will all be taking place in the summer. All of these trips require time and money from students and their parents. After asking parents to pay for these trips in the summer, it is hard to ask parents to turn around and then pay for another expensive trip in September. Having so many trips back-to-back places a large financial burden on parents.
How does this decision benefit the church staff? All these trips require much planning and preparation above and beyond the already hectic schedule of weekly church activities. Having so many trips back-to-back is an administrative nightmare and some of the side effects include ulcers, loss of sleep, and stress headaches. We have decided to make our calendar more balanced and intentional. Instead of having a fall retreat, we will focus on a mid-year retreat likely in the form of a Disciple Now. This retreat will take place in February or March. By moving the fall retreat to the middle of the year, parents and church staff will have more time to recover from a busy summer, and we will ultimately be able to create a much better mid-year retreat. If you have any more questions, please email me (Fred@northsidebc.org).
How often do you spend one dollar without even thinking about it? I do nearly everday. And yet there are some places in the world where one dollar can literally change someone’s life. This simple video powerfully illustrates the desperation in some places like Africa for clean water. You can make a difference. The church needs to step up and be the church. We must begin here in Greenwood but the love of Christ should compel us to reach out to those much less fortunate than those of us who by God’s grace live in America.
Last year the students at NSBC raised over eight hundred dollars towards building a well in Africa. The goal for this year is to raise over two thousand so that we can contribute enough money to build a well. I challenge you to live with your eyes wide open and to make a difference in the world around you for the glory of Jesus Christ. Don’t waste your money building your kingdom. Use your time, money, and resources to advance the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Hey Guys! Last night was a pretty crazy night at Peak and nothing seemed to go as planned, but that’s okay. Our plans are not always God’s plans. The main point last night was Jesus is the life. We played Steve Fee’s song “All because of Jesus.” The song says, “It’s all because of Jesus I am alive.” This statement could not be more true for me, and I know many of you would say the same thing. I read through some of the response cards this morning you guys filled out last night and God really encouraged me as I learned how Jesus is changing your lives. I did not get to preach last night because of time constraints so I was really bummed. If you are interested in reading what I planned to say last night I have posted my transcript below. The transcript is pretty rough but it will give you a good idea of what I planned to say and what verses I planned to use.
Week 3: Jesus is the Life
We are finishing up a series tonight called “Way.Truth.Life.” If you have not been here the past few weeks, this series is based on John 14:6. In John 14:6, Jesus looks at his disciples and says, “I am the way, the truth, and the Life. No one comes to the father except through me.” Anyone who would have heard Jesus make this statement would have understood that Jesus was making a rather bold and dangerous claim. These two sentences are probably two of the most significant sentences in history.
Statements like these are what ultimately led Jesus to the cross (at least the earthly reasons he was murdered on the cross). The Pharisees understood the significance of this claim. A great example of this can be found in John 5.
In John 5, Jesus goes to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. Inside the city there was a pool called the pool of Bethesda. Crowds of sick people would come to the pool because they believed that when the water was stirred, the first person in the water would be healed. John says there was a man there who had been coming for 38 years in hopes that he would some how be able to get in the water. By looking at the context of the story we see that the man could not walk or at least he did have the strength to get to the water in time. Just imagine how depressed and hopeless this guy was!
So Jesus walks up to the guy and asks him, “Would you like to get well?” The answer seems obvious but I think Jesus was trying to make the guy think. The man quickly responds, “I can’t sir for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Some one else always gets there ahead of me.”
So the man says, “I cannot get well! I cannot get to the water!” Jesus did not say, “Oh man, we have got to find some way to get you in the water.” This is another one of those situations where I wish I could have been there just to see Jesus’ face. Jesus probably smiled and had to be thinking, “You have no idea.”
Jesus looks a the man and says, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”
John says instantly the man was healed and he picked up his mat band began walking! The imagery in this story is unbelievable. This man thought in order to be healed he had to get to this water at just the right time by his own effort. In this story Jesus is basically saying, “I am the living water. I am the source of life, healing, and hope.” And Jesus healed the man even though he could do nothing to heal himself. Jesus has done the same thing for all of us.
Now remember, this miracle happened on a holy day – actually the Sabbath. Some Jewish leaders, probably Pharisees, saw the man carrying the mat and said, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!”
When I read this I just think “What!” These guys deserved to be kicked in the head. This guy was just healed by a wonderful act of God and they are worried about him carrying a mat! The man replied, “The man who healed me told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” The Jewish leaders demanded to know who healed him and he told them it was Jesus. The Jewish Leaders later caught up with Jesus and this is what happened:
16 So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules. 17 But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.” 18 So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God.
So the Jewish Leaders were harassing Jesus for “breaking the Sabbath rules” and Jesus tells them he did not break the Sabbath because his father is always working and so is he. He is saying God the Father is always working and Jesus as the Son of God is always working with Him. When the Jewish Leaders heard this they said they had to find a way to kill him because he was making himself with God. The Jewish Leaders wanted Jesus dead because he claimed to be God! This would be heresy if it were not true. Why is this a big deal? Many people say Jesus did not claim to be God. The Jews did not want Jesus dead because he was a nice guy, served people, and loved children; the Jews wanted Jesus dead because he claimed to be God!
Jesus knew that claims like this would ultimately lead to his death, but Jesus came to die.
How can Jesus make claims like this? How can Jesus say, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to father except through me.”
We learned the first week that Jesus can say he is the Truth because he is fully God! When Jesus claimed to be God it was not heresy because he really is God (Col. 1:15-20).
We learned last week that Jesus can say he is the Way because he is fully man! Both of these truths are equally important and we cannot emphasize one over the other. Why is it so important that Jesus was a man? It is important for two reasons:
1) Because he was a man he can identify with us (Hebrews 4:14-16)
14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
2) Because he was sinless he can represent us (Hebrews 9:11-15; 23-28)
12 With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.
Jesus can say he is THE WAY to God because only he is our substitute. He is our perfect sacrifice. Only Jesus Christ can make us right with God.
Romans 4:25:
“He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.”
Tonight we will discuss why Jesus can say he is THE LIFE. John 14:6 is not the only time Jesus claimed to be the life or the source of life. Let me give you another example:
John 6:
26 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. 27 But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”
28 They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”
29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”
30 They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? 31 After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
32 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. 33 The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 “Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.”
35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Jesus is saying in this passage that he is the source of life. He is life. He is better than physical bread and water; He is our spiritual bread and water. If you want to find life, then look no further than Jesus Christ.
Our problem is that we try to find life everywhere except for God! We try to find life in things that he has made instead of finding life in the source of all life. When I was in high school I found my life in what people thought about me. My God, my life was people! The reason why some of you are so miserable and your lives are so messed up is because you are trying to find life in everything except for Jesus Christ!
But I come back to the original question – why can Jesus say he is the life?
The answer is simple – Jesus is the life because through his resurrection he overcame death and sin, and through the power of the Holy Spirit we have victory over death and sin.
Paul expresses this truth beautifully to the church in Rome (Romans 8:9-14)
9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
The equation in this passage is simple:
Sin = Death; Jesus (through the Spirit) = Life.
All sin does is bring death and destruction. Its like a cancer that you cannot stop from spreading.
Let me give you an example:
If I offered you an apple that had been injected with a carcinogen would you eat it? You would not even touch it! You would not want to get near it! Sin does the same thing! Why do we play with sin?
Through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit we can have victory over sin and death.
Last night was one of the most incredible worship services I have experienced. Not because the worship was led by an incredible band (Steve Fee), not because the music rocked, and not because of the light show. Last night was incredible because the body of Christ was united and the gospel was proclaimed without compromise. Steve did an incredible job of leading people to worship in spirit and in truth. For once it did not seem to matter which local church you represented; you were representing THE CHURCH. Sometimes I feel like the local church acts more like political parties hoping to get the right candidate to sway peoples votes instead of one body united for one great cause - the glory of Jesus Christ.
A couple weeks ago you may have been surprised to see all three major tv networks (ABC, NBC, and CBS) the hosting the same program. Nothing like this had ever been done before. Why? The networks were raising money for a common cause - “Stand Up to Cancer.” The fundraiser raised hundreds of millions of dollars for cancer prevention, awareness, and hopefully a cure. Now “Stand Up to Cancer” is a great cause (I’ll never forget the day my wife (fiance at the time) called me to tell me she had been diagnosed with cancer); however, we (the church) have been called to a much greater cause - advancing the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. We cannot do this divided. The task is too great. If global television networks that are supposed to compete with another can drop their names for cancer, how much more should local churches drop their names to reach people with the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ.
What would this look like? I do not pretend to have the answer, but I think last night was a step in the right direction. I hope Greenwood will never be the same and look forward to God doing great things in this city through the church.
Hey guys! If you have not heard, Steve Fee will leading worship at the Greenwood Civic Center on Wednesday, September 17th. Steve Fee is the worship leader at North Point Community Church (NPCC) in Atlanta. You can listen to his music at www.myspace.com/stevefee. This concert will appeal to all ages and we are encouraging students along with their parents to attend.
The concert only cost $3 per person. Tickets will be available in the Commons Area on Sunday mornings and in the FLC office on Wednesday evenings. Please make checks out to NSBC and write Steve Fee concert in the memo. The doors will open at 6:30 pm and the concert will begin at 7:00 pm. The concert will probably last around 2 hours. Come early (5:00 pm) for tailgating.
Due to the concert we will not have Peak nor the after school program on this day. There will be no activities at the church for students in 6th – 12th grade. Due to the close proximity of the Civic Center, students will be responsible for their own transportation. If you have any questions, shoot me an email (fred@northsidebc.org).
If you missed Shake -n- Shine 2008, then this video will give you a taste of what you missed. We had an incredible week. Thank you to all of you who made SNS 08 possible!
Russ Chambers and myself recently met with the leaders of the La Puerta ministry (please excuse my poor spanish). We are excited about coming along side the La Puerta ministry and helping them reach out to children and families in the Greenwood community. We plan to do some painting, minor construction, and lead a soccer camp for the kids. God has really been opening up some doors and great partnerships in the community and we cannot wait to see what God is going to do during Emerge. If have painting experience, roofing experience, or just love working with kids, then you need to come help during Emerge! Don’t waste your summer! Don’t waste your life!
September 29th, 2008 by 
Fred Starnes, Jr.
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