Fun Depot Trip Coming Up!

On Friday, March 16th

MSM is going to Fun Depot!

But this time will be a little different than the last...

We'll be there from 11 - 2 a.m.

Every so often, Fun Depot hosts a night for youth groups to come at a lower cost, for a longer amount of time.

So get ready.

Laser Tag. Go Karts. Arcade Games. Bumper Cars. Rock Climbing. Mini Golf. Batting Cages. Late Night Fun.

Meet at 9 PM in the Student Center - we'll eat some pizza and head to Fun Depot.

We'll stay out late and your parents can pick you up at 3 AM the next morning!

You don't want to miss this! Invite your friends!

Here's a link to our permission slip form:

http://www.bcsm.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=yPeeS0mqMUs%3d&tabid=73&mid=396

New Series Starting Sunday / Fun Depot Trip

First order of business:

We're about to start a Sunday series called "Lost in Translation."

We've all used words while being a little uncertain of the actual meaning. But when it comes to words like "belief", "righteousness" and "salvation," our understanding makes a huge difference in how we live our Christian faith and how we view God. So we're going to take a look at these commonly used words and figure out not only what they mean today but what they meant to the writers of the Bible thousands of years ago. And, in doing so, our aim is to let these new definitions teach us more about all God has for us and wants for us. In other words, over three weeks we are going to take what may have been lost in translation and recapture and rethink it in a way that could transform us in ways we never imagined. Here's what topics we're going to cover during the next three weeks. We're praying for God to reveal incredible things during this series. You don't want to miss it!

Week One: Refining the Relationships

Belief is a word that we use often in the Christian faith. We talk about believing in Jesus. We talk about believing in the Bible. We talk about believing in God's church. But what if we are just scratching the surface when it comes to our understanding of belief? What if instead of simply believing in Jesus, we started to believe Jesus? Believe who He says He is and believe what we read about Him in the Bible. WHat if we saw the word "belief" as having more to do with a person and less to do with a set of statements or ideas? In this session, we look at the word "belief" in light of who Jesus says He is. We turn the tables on a belief that resonates with facts and instead resonates with the person of Jesus Christ.

Week Two: What Matters Most

We all believe in righteousness. For some, righteousness is a lot like fairness. For others, it is the definition of how to live without messing up. Whatever our definition of righteousness, if we haven't made it about the state of our own hearts, we've missed it altogether. While God has provided us with His Word to help us understand how He wants us to live, His purpose isn't for us to work at being better Christians on the outside alone. He wants our lives in line with Him on the inside. When we get our hearts right with God, our actions follow and we have the power to impact the world around us. We get to be a part of God's bigger story of restoration, in our own lives and in other's. True righteousness begins when we line our hearts up with God's heart.

Week Three: Save Me

What do most of us think of when we hear the word "salvation"? Maybe for some it's heaven. For others, it may be the fear of hell. And for others it may be Jesus' face on a get-out-of-jail-free card. But what if there was more to it than just guaranteeing a future destination we don't know that much about? It could be salvation is more about healing and help, not just once our lives are over, but in the here and now. Salvation is God's plan to bring us to a place of restoration so that He can lavish His love on us as we walk through the difficulty, joy and pain of everyday life. Salvation is available to us in the middle of our parent's divorce, as we are struggling through our relationships, when our hearts are broken and even when life seems to be going great. Salvation is about letting God take us where He has planned for us to go, not just when life is over, but right now, in this very moment. Salvation isn't just about being saved for the future, but being saved for the present.

Second order of business:

On Friday, March 16th

MSM is going to Fun Depot!

But this time will be a little different than the last...

We'll be there from 11 - 2 a.m.

Every so often Fun Depot hosts a night for youth groups to come at a lower cost, for a longer amount of time.

So get ready.

Laser Tag. Go Karts. Arcade Games. Bumper Cars. Rock Climbing. Mini Golf. Batting Cages. Late Night Fun.

Meet at 9 PM at the Student Center

We'll eat some pizza and head to Fun Depot.

We'll stay out late, and your parents can pick you up at 3 AM the next morning!

Cost = $20

You don't want to miss this!

Here's a link to our permission slip form:

http://www.bcsm.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=yPeeS0mqMUs%3d&tabid=73&mid=396

Invite your friends! We'll see you then!

Run to your Father.

If your dad was Bill Gates and your computer crashed, where would you go?

If your father was Albert Einstein and you needed help on your math homework, who would you go to?

And if your dad was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, would you go to anyone else for help with your free throws?

If your Father is God and you have a problem on your hands, what do you do?

We often think that our problems are insignificant or not worth God's time. Or we may think that our problems are too large for even God to handle.

But Ephesians 3:20 tells us “God is able to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”

No need is too big for God to satisfy.

“God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance.” - 2 Corinthians 9:8

And no enemy is too strong for God to overcome.

“God is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” - Philippians 3:21

Long story short: God can do what you and I can not.

When problems arise in your life, make your first thought and action be surrender and abandonment to Jesus. Take your issues to Christ.

When you surrender things to Christ, who is more than capable of handling all our needs and desires, you turn a pesky problem into an opportunity for God to show you His great love.

Run to your Father. He is waiting to help you through whatever your struggling with.

Have a great weekend, guys! See you on Sunday!

Transfiguration.

"About eight days later Jesus took Peter, John, and James up on a mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly, two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus. They were glorious to see. And they were speaking about his exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem. Peter and the others had fallen asleep. When they woke up, they saw Jesus’ glory and the two men standing with him. As Moses and Elijah were starting to leave, Peter, not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, 'Master, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.' But even as he was saying this, a cloud overshadowed them, and terror gripped them as the cloud covered them.Then a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him.' When the voice finished, Jesus was there alone. They didn’t tell anyone at that time what they had seen." - Luke 9:28 - 36

Have you ever tried staring at the sun?

DON'T. You'll burn your retinas out.

But that's how overwhelmingly bright Christ's light - His Godly nature - was shining. brighter than the sun.

Christ’s transfiguration showed a sneak-peak of the glory in which He will come to judge the world. It showed a glimpse of Christ in all His glory and power and might that we will see when He returns.

But it also served as an encouragement to His disciples to suffer for Him because it showed them what laid ahead. Up to this point, they had only seen the sufferings and brokenness and sadness of this world, but now they’re seeing the splendor that lays ahead – a destination worth suffering for.

We've also got to recognize what this Transfiguration meant for Christ. For just a moment, Christ is transfigured – a roaring radiance pours form him. He becomes as He was in Heaven before He came. He is elevated above this flawed and sin-damaged world and He’s lifted up into the eternal - He is home again.

What these disciples saw up on the mountain blew their minds.

Moses and Elijah, aflame with eternal robes, stand beside their king. When Jesus was preparing himself in the desert for the work of His life, angels came to encourage Him. Now, on the mountain, preparing himself for the work of death, Moses and Elijah draw near to Him, encouraging Him.

And then, the voice thunders. God inhabits a cloud. And from the belly of the cloud, the Father speaks: “This is my beloved Son. Hear Him!”

For Peter, James, and John, this scene is bizarre: dazzling white clouds, a voice from the sky, Jesus’ face is shining, these dead guys are hanging out with him, just chatting... IT’S CRAZY! But for Jesus, this is just a view from home - a glimpse of what is to come.

At this point in the Gospel, Jesus is on a journey towards Jerusalem, to death, and beyond to resurrection. Jesus has already told the disciples in advance that this is happening, and the events that occurred on the mountaintop are showing us what is beyond at the end of that journey. It gives us a preview of Jesus' destination, as well as our own - we too will shine like the sun.

We hear a lot about "Fear of the Lord" and fearing God in scripture.

I always had a hard time understanding that concept. B

ecause when we hear the word, "fear", we usually think of something negative - a threat or impending punishment of some kind.

But that’s not what it means to fear God at all. When the Word tells us to fear the Lord, it doesn’t mean we should run and hide because God is going to punish us, but rather that we should be so overcome by His majesty and worth that we dread to offend Him or let Him down. It's the fear of being separated from our Father because we love Him SO MUCH. This kind of fear is always tied to love and reverence for God - it's just a higher form of love.

This fear makes us ready and anxious and excited to meet this God who we love and hold in awe face-to-face. It makes us want to be clothed in righteousness and get into His word and follow after Him.

And it destroys and spits on this idea of "Yeah, I'm a Christian - I go to church on sundays - that's enough." But when you are consumed by a holy fear of God, NO, that's not enough. You want to be in His presence all the time, you ache for His word, you want to share His message with others so that all the people around you can feel the same way – so they can feel this passionate love for our great God.

Then the disciples heard the voice of God booming from this cloud, they fell on their faces and were terrified. How long has it been since you've felt this kind of fear? Since a fresh understanding of Christ buckled your knees and knocked the wind out of you? Since a glimpse of Him left you speechless and breathless? Has it been a while since you've seen His overwhelming power and glory?

If it has been a while, it's not for lack of Him revealing it to you - It's just us not paying attention. We’re not looking for it. But God shows us His glory and majesty every single day. In His creation, in His kindness, in His unconditional love, even when we screw up, In His grace, in the sheer fact alone that He gave up His son for us.

So do you have this kind of fear? This higher love for the God of the universe? Because this holy fear of God can replace the other unhealthy, gnawing fears in your life. The fear of sharing your faith, the fear of stepping out, the fear of being bold for Jesus.

You can develop this fear. It’s not something you’re born with – it's something you strive to attain and grow your whole life. It starts with seeing God in all of His majesty and glory and seeing the power He has in your own life. God is waiting for you to step out and accept Him for who He is and then radically pursue after Him.

Because when you see Him - when you stare into this Bonfire of radiant light - the Holy One, the Highest One, the reigning God of the Universe - when you behold Him, all your fears, besides your Holy fear of Him will melt away in the brightness and warmth of His love - like a popsicle in the sun.

Have a great weekend, MSMers! We'll see you on Sunday!