Condensing a whole week of funtivities into a simple blog post is going to be difficult, but I will try my best to keep this short... or I'll just break it up into parts. And you'll want to go to the very end of this one, because the ending is a real doosie! Haha
SO, this past week was NC State's Spring Break, and since I am not a student I didn't get an official spring break. However, my boss is pretty much the coolest guy around and he let me have a whole week off to lead a spring break mission trip to the University of Connecticut, home of Jonathan the Husky (a descendent of a wolf, like the NC State Wolfpack, if you catch my drift. Though, technically they were founded before us...).
ANYWAY, there were 5 of us in total who went on the trip: Zach, Anthony, Sarah, Jordan and myself. Four of us spent a great time driving the 12 hours up to UConn, while we picked up Anthony (a truck driver who drives enough) from the airport up there. Also, 2 more folks flew up from Florida: Mark and Katya. I know you may not know these people now, but you will by the end of the story.
The story actually begins on the drive up to Maryland on Saturday. We stopped in Maryland at Oak Ridge Community Church to hang out with the college group there and then stay at a friend's house and go to church the next day. Well, Saturday night with the College group (C-Group) was extremely encouraging and Spirit filled. Before the meeting "officially began" there were groups of two's and three's praying together and having fun catching up and introducing themselves to us and eating the food that was there. Once we finally got started, we went over John 16, particularly verses 5-15 dealing with the Holy Spirit.
A lot of people went around giving their testimonies of how they had the joy and peace of Christ because of His Spirit even though according to this world's standards, they should have been downtrodden. It was simply an encouraging time of hearing the Truth of the scriptures and then after the discussion, one of the guys in the back spoke up and said that he was Jewish and he would go out and party and talk to other people and not understand how they could still have joy and peace and happiness even though they didn't go out and party. The bluntness and honesty of him speaking up in front of everyone like that really shocked and encouraged me! He simply said that and that these verses really made it make sense to him at that time. It was a direct application of how the Spirit is the one who convicts the world and not us, and it was exciting to see and be a part of.
After some more discussion, we broke up into small groups. Little did I know, but I was in for another shock. We were told to simply share a little of what we learned with each other and pray for each other and have some fellowship. However, the first girl that spoke up said something like this: "I just wanna say that I'm not saved, but I can't help but see the happiness that you guys have and I want it." Immediately, someone asked, "Well, do you know how to be saved?" and she said that she didn't. So everyone started explaining their relationship with Christ and how it has changed their life, and all I could think about was sharing a clear gospel presentation to her. I was literally trembling by the time I finally got to share with her.
When it was my turn to talk, I asked her if I could show her what we would be sharing with the people we met up at UConn. She said, "Please!" My heart almost melted in my chest at being with someone so hungry to hear God's word of truth. So, I sat down in the middle of the circle so that she could see my handwriting better. This is what I shared with her:
For the sake of length, if you'd like to see The Conversation, simply follow the link... or read the previous blog post. Haha
Soon after I had finished, the rest of the group continued to encourage her to pursue Christ and know Him. One big comment that I really appreciated was by a cool guy near the end of our time. He said,
"Listen, don't do this for us. This shouldn't be done because you feel like we're pressuring you. We just see you in the same position we were in before we accepted Christ. We have so much that we would want to tell our former selves, but instead are telling you. No, don't do this for us. Do this for God and you. Realize that the relationship that you will be entering in is one that will change your life forever and for the good."
I really appreciated that guy! We then prayed, and we asked her if she would mind if we laid hands on her, and she said that'd be fine. So we prayed over her and it was overall just a great time! Though she did not come to Christ right then and there, I am confident that she will soon seeing as she is the one pursuing the rest of the people at the C-Group.
Soon after, the team and I went to our friend's house and rested for the evening. We woke up to a great breakfast and then a great service at church that morning. The trip had just started, we weren't even in Pennsylvania yet and we were already ready and raring to go share the good news of Jesus Christ!
NEXT Time, we'll hear of the fun exploits on the road and perhaps the beginnings of UConn (finally).
Here is a general overview of how I am usually blessed to be able to share the Gospel based on one of my more recent conversations with a girl in Maryland that I met at a church College Group on our way up to the University of Connecticut. This is about how it went:
Really, being saved means having a personal relationship with God, so let's look at God first. In Acts 17:22-31 it says 3 main things about God: 1) He's the Creator. He created the heavens and the earth. He is all-powerful and is everywhere. 2) Since He created us, He is a Loving Father. However, He's not just loving, but the Bible says that He IS Love. 3) Finally, it says that He is a Just Judge. Here is something that people don't like to look at much, but since He is perfect He knows the difference between right and wrong and judges justly, or impartially. He doesn't show partiality and so everyone is on the same playing field. That is God summed up in a very small nutshell, but for the sake of time, let's look at people now.
Do you think that people are similar or different from God? Different. Much different. *Laughs briefly* We certainly aren't perfect and we mess up a lot. *I laugh* Yeah! I agree. In fact the Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that ALL of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. When I say all, I again want to emphasize that everyone is on the same level. You, me, even the pastors that you know have messed up and fallen short of God's glory.
What this does is cloud our vision of God and actually separates us from Him. This separation is caused by our sin. Now tell me, have you ever had a job? Yes. Cool, so every week or two you got paid right? Yeah. Yeah. Let me ask, if your boss said that he was giving you your pay out of the kindness of his own heart, you'd laugh right? *Laughs* Yeah. Exactly! You earned that! Just like if he withheld your pay, you'd be upset right? Oh yeah. So those are your wages. Well, the Bible tells us what our wages are in Romans 6:23. What we've earned because of sin and that is Death. Not just the fact that 10 our of 10 people will die physically, but that we have earned spiritual death, which is separation from God. Even more, the Bible tells us that there is nothing that we can do to get back to God ourselves.
It seems we have a problem here. *Nods* In summary, God is perfect; we aren't; because of our sin, we are separated from Him and in fact deserve death; and there is no way we can get back to God by our own attempts. This is the truth, and it's sad.
Be that as it may, this is not the end of the story. God knows that we can't get to Him on our own, and He desires a relationship with us more than we do with Him. That is why He sent Jesus Christ for us. Jesus dying on the cross was where God's love and justice met. In Romans 5:8, we are told that while we were still sinning and separating ourselves from God, He sent Jesus to die for our sins in our place. God was being just by sentencing us to death, but being love by sending Jesus to take our place.
Now, I told you the beginning to Romans 6:23; that the wages of sin is death, but the last part says that the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. It's a free gift that God is offering for us to have a relationship with Him. Now, like every other gift, what do we have do to? Say I were to offer you this free pen, *holds out pen* what would you have to do? I'd have to say thank you and take it, right? Yeah, that's exactly right, and that's where our response comes in along with another verse.
John 3:16 says that our response is to believe. What we need to do to have that everlasting life and relationship with God is to believe in His gift of Jesus. Now believing is more than simply acknowledging something intellectually. Instead, it has to be deeper than that. First of all, we have to repent (a churchy word, I know), but this simply means that we have to turn away from our sins and not only face God, but actively pursue Him. Next we have trust or faith that Jesus has made a way for us and that we cannot make it to God on our own. Finally, we simply confess that Jesus is the Lord, or boss, of our lives. Romans 10:9 tells us that we need to make that deliberate choice that we want to turn towards God and let Jesus be the bridge between us and God instead of us attempting to get to Him on our own.
Does this make sense to you? Yeah. Yes it does. Good, so what would you have to do to have that relationship with God? I'd have to let go of my current lifestyle and pursue Jesus and accept Him as the boss of my life. Yeah. So what's holding you back from making that decision right now and accepting that eternal life through Jesus Christ? I dunno. I'm afraid of what will happen with my friends. I just don't know if I can let go of my lifestyle yet.
I'd like to say that I was able to continue to encourage her, and lead her to Christ, but that isn't true. The truth is, however, that she got to hear the gospel presented in a clear and concise (though it may not look it in words) way that was written on paper that she can go back and look at. I cannot help but think of Isaiah 55:11 in the King James Version at this point. God's Word will not return void. It WILL accomplish His will!
