Still in the Game?

Depending on which conference you attended this year, it has been 4-8 weeks since you were at Shabbach. Are you still in the game?

Paul writes in Philippians 3:12, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own…”

Are you still pressing?

Still praising?

Praying?

Word?

Eddie James preached Sunday at Myrtle Beach that we should be seeking more than a one-night stand with the Holy Spirit, but that we should be seeking a life of discipleship...

“that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may GROW UP in all things into Him who is the head—Christ” Ephesians 4:14-15

Are you growing?

Not did you grow at Shabbach- are you grow-ING- as in continue-ING to grow?

Paul continues in Philippians 3:13, “One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize…”

When Paul wrote this, he had already wrote much of the New Testament you read today. He had preached around the world and stood before pagans and kings...

-yet he did not think he had arrived-

-he had not got there yet-

-he had more to do-

You cannot live on the fumes of a past experience with God.  You’ve got to strain, stretch, and PRESS toward God.

Keep pushing…..

Keep growing….

Stay in the Game

Read Colossians 1:11-12---This is my prayer over you this week.

John D Smith

Shabbach Ministries 

Rooted?

Sunday Morning at the Pigeon Forge conference, Matt Poole preached on the importance of developing a root system to sustaining a healthy Christian life. Let's rehash some thoughts on roots...

The roots of a plant have two basic purposes:

Purpose # 1: Roots are the part of the plant that ATTACH it to the ground.

Purpose # 2: Roots CONNECT water and nourishment to the rest of the plant.

So how does that transfer over into the Christian life?

Your roots serve to ATTACH you to the ground, stabilizing you from falling over

Your roots CONNECT you to the source of nourishment and water necessary to survive.

So what are you rooted in?

If roots ATTACH you and CONNECT you, what you are rooted in matters.

If you are rooted into the things of this world, then the nourishment you are bringing into your tree will not support the fruit of a Christian life. But if you root into the things of Christ, you can grow into a healthy "plant."

Some things you should root into...

1. Your Church- The community of life found in the CHURCH can help to keep you grounded. Here you can find strength during a storm, nourishment through preaching and support to make sure you are growing in the right direction.

2. Your Bible- The WORD is the single most important source of nourishment that you need for living a healthy Christian life. Get rooted in your Bible and watch as the Holy Spirit begins to feed you with the strength you need to grow.

3. Prayer- Prayer is the ultimate place of communion with God. It is through a root system deeply entrenched in prayer that the Holy Spirit can communicate with us, pruning our life to be more like him.

You branches cannot grow larger than your roots. If you attempt to grow branches that can bear the fruits of Christian life without first developing the root system to anchor you, your tree will come tumbling down. You will topple over with the pressure of trying to live the WORKS of a Christian life without being CONNECTED to the source of life.

2 kings 19:30 says "And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward." Notice the order here-:

TAKE ROOT DOWNWARD BEFORE BEARING FRUIT UPWARD

I encourage you today to begin to strengthen your root system. Develop roots in your CHURCH, your WORD, and your PRAYER life with God. Then watch as your “tree” produces the fruit of a healthy Christian life

>Read John 15:1-11<

John D. Smith
Shabbach Ministries

Did you DIE?

At Shabbach DC, Pastor Daniel Gray preached a powerful word on Sunday asking if YOU had DIED yet. One of the reasons that the change doesn't stick after a conference like Shabbach is that some of us did not DIE. We tried to add God into the mix of a cRaZy lifestyle when what we really needed to do was to put that old stuff to death and be resurrected into a new life in Him. Don't believe me….

In Romans 6, Paul is encouraging the believers to live a life free from sin. His reasoning- because they had DIED to who they used to be. "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?" (Romans 6:1-3, ESV). You must die to who you were to become a new creation in Christ. This is why we refer to the area at the front of the sanctuary as the altar; because this is the area where things are put to death.

So I must ask you, did you DIE at Shabbach?

You cannot live an empowered Christian life and keep your old self on life-support just in-case things don't work out. You cannot simply add Jesus to the mix of what you've always done and expect this thing called a relationship with him to last very long. Rather, you must put to death the old things.

Do I really have to DIE?

When we think of dying, we think of what we LOSE. But that's not the way Jesus sees it. He sees our sacrifice for what we will GAIN. "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." (Luke 9:24, ESV). What you lose NOW for the cause of Christ will pay off in the long run. Jesus pointed out that a seed is only one small thing unless it falls into the ground and dies. But in its death, it is transformed into a new life that can bear much fruit (John 12:24). Paul teaches in Romans 6 that if we die with Christ, we will also be resurrected with him in the power of the Spirit, free from the bondage of sin.

As Pastor Daniel Gray illustrated, when you hold a seed in your hand, you do not simply hold a seed. You are holding a seed that can produce a tree, that can produce fruit, that can produce more seeds, that can produce more trees….. etc. In other words, you contain the potential of a forest when you hold a seed in your hand. The pivotal moment is when the seed falls to the ground and dies. Only then will its potential be reached.

So I encourage you to reflect on your life. Have you DIED to who you were so that you can be resurrected into who he is? When you do, you release a forest of potential and receive the power to walk in newness of life, bearing fruit for the kingdom.

Finish reading Romans 6:1-14,

John D. Smith
Shabbach Ministries

Staying CONNECTED to change!

Every year we witness lives CHANGED at Shabbach, but we often see students return back to their old life a few weeks after the conferences. We don't want to see this happen this year! Here are 5 things you can do to stay CONNECTED to the change that took place at Shabbach 2012...

1. Stay CONNECTED to fellow Shabbachers- do not let yourself be isolated from those who experienced this weekend with you. The enemy would love to sever your ties because this is your support system and accountability group. Bring a Shabbach attitude into your youth service and watch God show up!

2. Stay CONNECTED to a Youth Worker- your youth worker can remind you of the commitments made at the conference and keep you accountable. Reach out to them, ask questions, tell them about your experiences this weekend. Let them partner with you to keep the change going.

3.Stay CONNECTED to Your Armband- sometimes you have to remind yourself what God did for you. Every time you look down you will be reminded of the change that took place. Declare to yourself "I'M NOT GOIN' BACK!"

4. Stay CONNECTED to the Word- God speaks through his word. It is there where God reveals his thoughts and his plan. Get into your BIble on a daily basis and allow your thought life to be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

5. Stay CONNECTED in Prayer- carve out time every day to pray. Get a prayer journal and record what has been done this weekend and what you are praying for God to continue to do in your life. Prayer is the avenue through which God continues to change us!

Team Values to Live by

Recently i was asked by our exe. pastor to make a list of values that we as a staff team should live by when dealing with each other. It sent me on a journey, so i thought i would share my thoughts with you.


Tell me what you think of these 10 Values to live by as a teammate.

There are some things that should be the desire from all staff members.
Here are ten values, I as a staff should live, love & lead by.

1. Love God. I want to be a person who authentically loves God every day. There is not a need for an extremely gifted person who seems to only live a life of religious routine. I want to truly know and love God and love working with the team, God has synced me with.

2. Live a life of faith. I want to model walking with the Lord in true faith, by stepping out in ways that don’t always make sense to our human minds. Peter walking on the water was witnessed by the others. I do not want to witness the miraculous, i want to experience it!

3. Be a true spiritual leader. In the church, we call ourselves “spiritual leaders,” so I want to actually lead in spiritual things. I need to be spiritually-focused and spirit-led in interacting with the team.

4. Know and love Scripture. I want to be in Scripture regularly, interacting with it, and seeking to know it better. My entire Christian faith stems from the truths of Scripture, therefore, i seek to know it for myself and for the team I am in spiritual leadership with.

5. Avoid behavior management. I desire to be more concerned about the spiritual condition of our team than them having proper or improper behavior. I want them to witness, regularly, my heart and my actions being in tune with the spirit of the team. My most opportune moment for this is when disagreements occur.

6. Hang with the team. Relationships are started at a meeting, but built outside of that time. I desire to spend as much time with the team outside of weekly meetings as possible, without compromising my family or personal time.

7. Know the big picture. I want to, regardless of the age-stage I am working with, to realize that my branch in this ministry, as vital as it may be, is just a part of a life-long discipleship process of the individuals i am leading with the my fellow teammates. My ministry isn’t the end, but simply a means to a much greater end (Philippians 1:6) for every student I lead for a season thate we, as a team, groom for eternity.

8. Integrate into families. Having relationships with the team is great, but getting to know and love their families is far better. We are players on the starting line-up. I want to find ways to positively reinforce what we are endeavoring to do in our meetings by having a greater chemistry between families, not just colleagues.

9. Force thought. I desire to force our team to think, not just be given answers. Far too many meetings have been spoon-fed activities & ideas into my life, never being forced to think through own my own and then share from my perspective. This is detrimental, and a major cause of team detachment. I want to respectfully challenge the process and base the outcome off the truth that is the Word of God and for the betterment of the Whole.

10. Be teachable. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to teach someone who is unteachable. I define a teacher as a constant student who has learned (and is still learning)a lesson worth passing on. I need to understand that this is the means by which the Lord brings me to greater maturity (1 Peter 5:1-2; Ephesians 4:11-16).


hope i helped, gw

Advice to Young Guys Stepping into Ministry

Recently, I was to give a few suggestions for young ministers who were stepping into ministry to consider as they walk into the zany world that is the Church. It went over so well, i thought i would throw them at you to see if they help!!
here we go:

1. Have an out. Life cannot ALWAYS be about the business of the Lord. Sabbath is commandment #4 in case you forgot. Find your "calgon, take me away" thing and make sure it is a CONSTANT part of your life! Me? I like blowing stuff up with my guns!! scary, i know!

2. Preserve your wife's church. This is a HUGE mistake i see happen. Guys come and blast the church and everything about the staff, etc. Guys feel better, but women (for the most part) internalize everything and hold grudges. I suggest never discussing a problem in the heat of the battle. Wait until you have the issue resolved and then talk to her about it. You won't be stressed and she will not feel the need to defend your honor. Example: If you have ran the minister of music in the dirt all week, it will be nearly impossible for her to be led into God's presence by him/her on Sunday. Be smart for family, not selfish to make yo feel better.

3. Go HOME. You will NEVER make every person happy! you will NEVER send enough emails! You will NEVER visit enough hospitals! You will NEVER do it all! set a time you are going to leave and GO HOME! When you get home, be there! These are the people who deserve to get all of you, as well.

4. Reserve your 1st impression for your 3rd interaction. People are so guarded by nature and they work hard to make themselves look better than they really are. Give people a chance before you throw them in a category they aren't really suited for, good or bad. Bottom line, it takes time to KNOW people.

5. Relational. Relational. Relational. Any long-term ministry team has to be balanced with relationship. Too much focus on the business relationship, and your relationship will exist as long as there isn't a better deal. Too much focus on the personal relationship side, and the person will grow less respectful of you and the office you hold. either way, people have to get to know you. They buy into people before vision and purpose is enticing enough to make a change for.

6. Learn to "Play ALL the Instruments." Everybody's not the same so you can't treat them the same. A saxophone and trombone require two different methods of making music come out. Yet both are vital to a jazz band. Learn what people need and make a melody that is in harmony with others on your team.

7. Have a Creation mindset. Take your God-sized dream and make it into a man-sized stratedgy. At each accomplishment on the way to your overall goal, have an "It is Good" celebration! make sure you involve yourself as an honored guest to that party!

Hope i helped,
pg

The Way to Purity

One of the things i do each day is read from Oswald Chambers' devotional, My Utmost for His Highest. This was the devotion today. It spoke profoundly to me, so i thought i would share it with you, as well.

262011
Those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart . . . . For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man . . . —Matthew 15:18-20


Initially we trust in our ignorance, calling it innocence, and next we trust our innocence, calling it purity. Then when we hear these strong statements from our Lord, we shrink back, saying, “But I never felt any of those awful things in my heart.” We resent what He reveals. Either Jesus Christ is the supreme authority on the human heart, or He is not worth paying any attention to. Am I prepared to trust the penetration of His Word into my heart, or would I prefer to trust my own “innocent ignorance”? If I will take an honest look at myself, becoming fully aware of my so-called innocence and putting it to the test, I am very likely to have a rude awakening that what Jesus Christ said is true, and I will be appalled at the possibilities of the evil and the wrong within me. But as long as I remain under the false security of my own “innocence,” I am living in a fool’s paradise. If I have never been an openly rude and abusive person, the only reason is my own cowardice coupled with the sense of protection I receive from living a civilized life. But when I am open and completely exposed before God, I find that Jesus Christ is right in His diagnosis of me.

The only thing that truly provides protection is the redemption of Jesus Christ. If I will simply hand myself over to Him, I will never have to experience the terrible possibilities that lie within my heart. Purity is something far too deep for me to arrive at naturally. But when the Holy Spirit comes into me, He brings into the center of my personal life the very Spirit that was exhibited in the life of Jesus Christ, namely, the Holy Spirit, which is absolute unblemished purity.