Did the shopping for snacks and lock-in last night (R & C introduced me to COSTCO).

I'm already hungry!

 Gonna be loads of fun. There will be a movie.

Need input.

a) anyone else want to bring a Wii or PS? No CoD or violent games :) 

b) board games?

Go to Contact page and e-mail Steve

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Yesterday during a visit to the last night of AWANA I came across some familiar faces from Youth Group and was reminded that there are some teens in our group that have been quietly serving in that ministry for a number of years.

It was really nice to see Michelle, Emily, Nicole, Ashley, Jeff, Kyle, Isaac, Eleanor and Elizabeth fully engaged and being recognized by the AWANA leadership for their contributions.

Some are in their first year(s) of service while others like Mark, Joseph and Ryan (the Network) have quite a few more years under their belts.

I know that our service here is for Him, but just wanted to say how much it is appreciated when we see young people stepping up and becoming involved. It encourages the rest of the assembly when we see you giving of your time to serve.

(Steve)

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Speaker: Joe Reese
Venue: MBC Family Bible Hour 

"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” - Luke 19:10 (ESV)

Who is this Son of Man?

• came to minister
• will be betrayed
• will die
• will rise again
• Son of Man: form of a servant in the likeness of man
• Jesus became like us, sin apart

How far did he come?
• He crossed the universe, across time
• left His Father's home

To whom has He come?
• to seek lost people
• because of sin, humans had lost their attachment to their Creator
• we are accustomed to the thought of 'lost'
• being lost should cause alarm and dispair; how much more to be 'spiritually lost'?
• four stories of lost in chapter 15: 1/100 sheep, 1/10 coins, 1/2 boys, 1/1 son
• Jesus came to seek sinners -- God cannot tolerate sin in His presence
• finding that which is lost causes rejoicing (refer to chapter 15)
• didn't come to seek the self-righteous
• if you don't see yourself as lost you don't feel the need to be found

What reason has He come?
• Jesus came to seek and to save
• "saved" is used over 100 times in the NT in reference to being rescued from the penalty of sin
• to get onto the narrow road, a person first must admit that they are lost
• illustration: Amber Alert
• He seeks in every place
• GPS: God's Plan of Salvation

How?
• Jesus died and paid for our sin
• a seeking sinner and a seeking Saviour will always meet

You'd allow yourself to be saved from a burning building, a raging sea or if you were lost in the wilderness, but...

If the seeking Son of Man came to save you, would you let Him?

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Why go to a conference anyway?

It's just another word for all-day-church-service-in-a-school, right?

We can attend because there are back to back messages, we can go because we're looking to be challenged, we can show up simply because it's expected of us or because our family drags us there...

Every year as I sit in an auditorium much larger than my own assembly's space and participate in the singing and listen to the messages, another thing strikes me and has for years.

I AM NOT ALONE IN THIS CHRISTIAN LIFE!

That's a hidden value.

(Steve)

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Toronto Easter Conference
Speaker:  Rex Trogden

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  - Galatians 2:20 (ESV)

I
• personal pronoun, dealing with ourselves 
• Paul said, "I am less than the least"
• Paul had a changed perspective, the right perspective
• every believer can be used by God in their own way
• For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.  But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;  God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are... - 1 Corinthians 1:26-28 (ESV)
• as long as we think of ourselves as something, we are nothing
• how do we view ourselves? Usable? Or not?

NOW
• a challenging word because it means immediacy
• God works in the present
• if not now, then when?
• if we are serious, we will get started to get to know/serve Him right now
• we use the thought of now when it comes to salvation...
• choose this day whom/what you will serve

LIVE
• the opposite of life is death/dead
• if what we're living for isn't worth dying for, it's not worth living for; Paul: for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain
• what in our life is worth living for?
• if we're living for wealth/health/fame, etc., it will be gone tomorrow
• what on earth are you doing for heaven's sake

BY FAITH
• forsaking all I trust Him; faith is a necessity
• living by/in faith is practical
• facts, faith, feeling  (some people get the order wrong, with feeling being the first)
• we walk by faith and not by sight

IN THE SON OF GOD
• our grounding
• if our faith is not in Christ, then who/what is it in?

WHO LOVED ME
• gives us purpose in life
• eternal love (has no beginning or ending)
• greater love has no man than this...
• we love/serve because He first loved us

AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME
• the price we cost Him
• we were not paid for with some commodity but with His own life
• He gives us all things freely

This verse should change the perspective of our lives.

Should we not respond by wanting to offer Him our lives/service?

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

http://mapq.st/I189fa

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Speaker: Jim Renie (Part2), Sunday April 1st

And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. - Ephesians 5:2 (ESV)

Qualities of a beautiful bride

• Sanctity (holiness)

• Happy heart (joy in the spirit)

• Submission to the lordship of Jesus Christ

The  three domestic examples in this chapter mirror a Christian's relationship with Christ

FAMILIAL RELATIONSHIPS (AS PART OF THE BRIDE)

Reading: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise),  “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”  Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ,  not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,  rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man,  knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.  Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him. - Ephesians 6:1-9 (ESV)

Teens' responsibility

• verse 1: addressed to children; the Bible indicates that adulthood is age-defined - 'From twenty years old and upward…' - Numbers 1:3 (ESV); God continues to mention the age of 20 fourteen more times; this number proved absolutely crucial as it was used to be the deciding factor in who got into the Promised Land and who did not; parenting is not meant to be for an indefinite length of time; significance of age 12 (Luke 2:41-52): recognition of the primacy of one's personal responsibility to God and to be in His house - at 12 a child has a responsibility to follow God for themselves 

• verse 2: these instructions are for all; honour is the positive practice of valuing; “Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death. - Exodus 21:15 (ESV); 'Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.' - Exodus 21:17 (ESV); in Ephesians God gives a promise instead of that dire warning from Exodus although the importance God places honouring parents has not diminished

Parental Responsibilities

• represent the heavenly Father by caring for and governing the child in age-approximate ways 

• to bring (introduce) the child to Jesus (Matthew 19:13-14)

• to promote the transfer of dependence and allegiance away from self (the parents) to God

Growing up

• the best teacher is the Holy Spirit, NOT by gaing our own 'experience'

• rebellion against parental authority is always a sin (2 Timothy 3:2)

• verse 4: instructions to fathers (they have the mandate to govern, not the mother); exasperation: lack of love, neglecting discipline, harsh or unfair discipline; there needs to be an even mix of love and discipline (let everything be done in love); the greatest influence is by love - for a father to teach control to his child he must be in control of himself (grace-based parenting)

Challenge to teens: are you prepared to submit (be obedient) to your parents and then to honour them always?

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Last night our youth Group sung a beautiful selection of songs for the residents of Bethany. Serena did a great job on the piano.  

With Easter right around the corner it was really nice to be able to take the wonderful story of Jesus' resurrection to Bethany in song and word. The reminder of the pivotal importance of that miraculous fact to our faith brought smiles to the faces of many in the audience.

It may seem like a small thing, but it should be a real encouragement to us that a group of teenagers can totally brighten the evening of the folks there and is appreciated more than we may ever know!

The fact the 29 of you came out says a lot for the quality of the kids in our Youth Group.

You also brightened the faces of the leaders last night! Perhaps we don't tell you enough but we really love you guys. You all did a fantastic job and made us extremely proud! 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

EXCERPT FROM ANSWERS IN GENESIS

My academic background is biology. I graduated from Penn State with a biology/genetics & development degree . . . so I’m quite well-versed in molecular and cellular processes, as well as natural selection and evolution. I have always had a difficult time knowing what to believe about the origins of the earth and natural earth processes, given that the majority of my science teachers and professors were atheists, and, of course, were promoting their own agenda as well as the “universally accepted” science curricula.

However, when I attended the Creation Museum, somehow everything changed in my mind. . . . I’ll be honest and say that there are many topics that I still don’t grasp and some that I’d like to explore further. What changed in my mind was the realization [of what I] needed to know—knowing that God’s Word is absolute truth. Period.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

In Titus 2 Paul tells older men, older women, younger women and younger men to exercise self-control. That covers all age groups, so no one is left out :)

QUESTION

Where does a Christian get the ability to be able to have self-control? See if you can find a verse(s) in the Bible.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Round 2 went to the guys too.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

This Friday is Q&A Night at YG. You can email Ryan your questions.

It's also a gym night, so be sure to bring gym stuff, mainly shoes.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

We are not from this world; we have been called out; therefore "I am not from around here"

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 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. -Ephesians 4:25-32 (ESV)

Structure of the passage relating to practical application

Positive command - "don't lie" - Satan is the father of lies; the world has exchanged the truth of God for a lie; everything we see in the world is based on deceipt; no room for "little white lies"; speak the truth to each other because we are members together of His body (organism, not organization); illustration: nervous system to the brain; truth should be a characteristic of those 'of Christ'

Negative command - "be angry and do not sin" - when we are angry it should not be an opening to sin; we can be angry, but our anger should be about what angers God (actions against Him, injustice to His creation); reference to 'A Tale of Two Cites' (revolution, retribution, redemption); this command has a timeframe (take care of issues without allowing it to fester); illustration: Cain killing Abel; anger can distroy our usefulness for God; remember that "vengeance is mine, saith the Lord"

Negative command - "do not steal" - do our own work; work for what we need; "whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might"; work so we can help others; as Christians we should have a desire to help others less fortunate (don't be hoarders); giving is a true picture of love; marketing creates a desire to get more and more; our giving must be with the right attitude

Negative command - "don't let [rancid] words come out of your mouth" - words are extremely powerful; our communication should be to 'build up one another in love' (edifying); this imparts grace

Reason for the positive command - "that we grieve not the Holy Spirit" - reminants of our old self (pre-salvation) should not characterize who we are as Christians; this takes grace; act like who we are (saved from the former)

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Speaker Notes: Chris Schroeder, Sunday PM, March 11, 2012

What a message! This hit us hard.

If you can, get the MP3. Here are the notes. Chris can really hit us where we are.

2012-03-11 PM - Chris Schroeder - How do we stay faithful?.pdf Download this file

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Tonight's lesson by Ryan (see .pdf of presentation)

"A lot of what 

we have covered this year at YG was mentioned in the topic of the Youth Conference in Scotlea and tonight is going to be a little bit of a recap."

WHY A PURE BRIDE?
- the key is that the church may be presented to Christ as a glorious bride (Eph. 6:25-27)
- clean (doesn't just mean sexually, although that's what we often think of first) - holy and not marked up (brides in traditional wedding wear white and take a lot of time preparing for their presentation to the bridegroom)
- sanctified (set apart)
- Christ will present the bride to Himself -- notice this is not about the bride at that time

HOW IS THE PURE BRIDE NOT OF THIS WORLD?
- Genesis 3:6 and 1 John 2:16
- Eve saw that the fruit was good (progression of lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and pride of life)
- the world looks like it offers everything, but for the Christian it has nothing to offer us (looks pretty but is empty)

WHAT IS IT THAT CHRIST OFFERS?
1 John 3:1-4
- fellowship that leads to pure joy
- our purity leads to fellowship with Him
- fellowship with Him leads to joy
- we cultivate fellowship through obedience to Him

WHY SHOULD WE BE PURE?
- the world would tell Christians that being pure will choke our ability to have fun and that God is holding out on us (same lie as Satan told Eve in the garden is being told told today)
- our love to Him is in recognition and appreciation for the fact that He loved us and gave Himself for us
- love should lead to obedience ("if you love me, keep my commandments")
- we look forward to the future with a very certain hope (only in heaven will we know what real purity is all about)
- because of this we should want to be pure

a) upon salvation we were saved from the penalty of sin
b) daily we can be saved from the power of sin (requires a close relationship with Christ)
c) in the future (heaven) we will be saved from the presence of sin

(.pdf of lesson Keynote)

The_Pure_Bride.pdf Download this file

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Bible Running With God.mov Watch on Posterous

It's a quicktime movie, so you can play it here or download. Sadly, no music, but the message is good.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

The theme of the weekend has been The Pure Bride and the sessions have been great. The three break-out seminars were all tied in very nicely.

As the bride of Christ awaiting His return at any time, there are a few things we need to remember:

SIN'S CONSEQUENCES
An awareness that sin in our lives tarnishes (dirties) our testimony for Christ and our ability to be used by Him will make us want to live our lives in a way that we won't be doing anything embarrassing or not honoring in our lives when our bridegroom returns for His bride.

RUNNING FOR GOD
Our run for God can be a direct indication of our love for Him and our commitment to our coming bridegroom. It would be really nice to be running for God when His Son returns.

SACRIFICIAL SERVICE
When Christ returns it would be really nice to be engaged in service for Him. Our Lord asks us to "occupy until I come". Many times it seems we are preoccupied with other stuff and it's nice to be reminded that we need to be occupied in service for Him. Wouldn't it be nice to be occupied when the bridegroom returns?

Permalink | Leave a comment  »