Youth Ministry Emphasis
This past Sunday was an awesome Youth Ministry Emphasis.
Jessica did an amazing job bringing the word and sharing her heart and vision for Transit Student Ministries.
She spoke from Judges 2:6-10 about how a generation is rising up that does not know the Lord and it is our responsibility to show Christ to them.
She shared with us some staggering statistics like:
- Today almost 3,000 teens will get pregnant- 2 every minute
- Today 3,000 teens will get addicted to a harmful substance
- 10% of teens will drop out of school completely
- 1 out of 4 teens that grew up in church will stay in church when they are an adult
She did an amazing job of challenging the students to rise above the statistics, and the adults to take responsibility for leading the next generation to the Lord. It was awesome to see so many teens in both services go forward and even more powerful when we as adults flooded in around them and lifted them up in prayer.
We love our students and we are committed to loving and leading them into a growing relationship with Christ.
Transit Student Ministries is for all junior high and high schoolers and meets at ACC every Wednesday night at 7:00pm.
If you are interested in volunteering in the youth ministry please email us here.
Unstoppable
This is the sermon from Sunday called “Unstoppable.” In it we looked at how we can become an unstoppable church and live unstoppable lives for the glory of God.
Water Baptism- Part 2
Why should someone get baptized?
Well, here are a few reasons from Scripture why baptism is important and necessary for a believer:
1. To follow the example set by Jesus- Mark 1:9
2. Because Jesus commanded it- Matthew 28:19-20
3. It symbolizes our new life in Christ- Romans 6:4
Baptism is basically a step of obedience to God and a way of visually demonstrating our death to sin and our new life in Jesus Christ.
Water Baptism- Part 1
If you haven’t yet been baptized since becoming a follower of Jesus, I want to encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to do so. On Sunday morning, May 4 we will be having water baptisms in both the 9:15 & 11:00 services.
Baptism is basically an outward sign of an inward decision. In other words, baptism demonstrates publicly, that you have given your heart to Jesus Christ personally just as a wedding ring is a symbol of marriage. Marriage is an inward covenant made between two people for life. The ring is the outward sign of that inward commitment.
In other words, we are not saved by getting baptized, but we get baptized because we are saved.
If you would like to get baptized on Sunday May, 4 send us an email here or call the church at 724.266.3052 for more info.
Monday Reflections
- I had a great time yesterday preaching on how we can become an unstoppable church and live unstoppable lives from this awesome text.
- I was encouraged by our attendance at church yesterday. Counting both services we had 166 people total. That’s the highest attendance we’ve had in the last 9 years. Praise God!
- Jess and I had a great time last night at Dave & Busters celebrating Pastor Annie’s birthday. We are so blessed to have her as our children’s pastor!
- Looking forward to doing water baptisms on May 4 and starting our new series called Overcomer: Rising Above Life’s Greatest Challenges.
Overcomer Series Trailer
Check out the trailer for our upcoming sermon series Overcomer beginning Sunday, May 4.
New ESV Study Bible
I’m really excited about this! Crossway publishers has just unveiled a website for their new ESV Study Bible to be released this October. Check out the website here.
For more on the English Standard Version visit their website here.
The Center Of God’s Will
As a part of my message this week we looked at a popular phrase that can potentially be misleading. The phrase is: The safest place to be is in the center of God’s will. In the ultimate sense that statement is completely true. It can however be misleading if we take it to mean that the safest choices in life must automatically be the will of God for us.
We saw from the story of Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego that for them, the center of God’s will was anything but safe. In fact, sometimes following the will of God can lead us into potentially dangerous situations. Yet regardless of what we may suffer for our obedience to God, we can be assured that he is in complete control and that he will be with us no matter what we face. Though God’s will may lead us into danger and uncertainty from a human perspective, from an eternal perspective it is ultimately the safest place to be because God is sovereign over everything.
David Livingstone was a Scottish missionary who gave up a medical career in Scotland to follow God’s call into the heart of Africa. His work opened up that continent to missionary activity and trade that eventually broke the hold of slave traders.
One biographer writes of Livingstone, “He was attacked and maimed by a lion, his home was destroyed during a war, his body was often racked by fever and dysentery, and his wife died on the field. Someone once told him, ‘Dr. Livingstone, you must have sacrificed a lot for the gospel.’ His response was: ‘Sacrifice? The only sacrifice is to live outside the will of God.”
I went on a mission trip to Africa 7 years ago and had the privilege of seeing Livingstone’s grave at Westminster Abbey in London during a layover on our way to Rwanda. I remember standing over his grave with the two other guys I was traveling with and thinking that it was largely because of his obedience that we were even able to enter that country as missionaries.
I think its safe to say that the center of God’s will may not always be safest place from a human perspective, but it is always the best place.
Adding Passion To Disciplines
Check out this great post from Pastor Jeff Leake on the relationship between attitudes and actions when it comes to spiritual growth.
Summer Missions Team
Had a great time this week hanging out with my friend Mike Randle. Mike is currently the children’s pastor at King’s River Worship Center in West Virginia. He is planning on bringing a team of 4th-5th graders from his church to Ambridge June 16-20 as a missions trip.
I love the way he is teaching his kids how to have a heart for God and missions. In preparation for the trip, he’s having them write their own testimonies down in case they would need to share them on the trip. I was nearly moved to tears after reading a few of them! I’m really looking forward to having them come out. It’s going to be a great week!
