Evangelism was the topic at the Institute this week and we had the opportunity to get to go out into the community of Branson and share the Gospel with people. I ended up landing at Panera and sitting down to wait for some people that I might share with.
The first person I got to talk to was a girl named Tiffany. She had just moved here from New York and did not have many friends. I asked her about God and her views on who God was. She seemed to have a pretty God knowledge of who God was and I found out soon there after that she was a believer. We then discussed some of the tough things that she was dealing with on her transition from New York to Branson. I was then able to pray for her and invite her to attend Church this week at First Baptist.
The next person that I was able to get to talk to was a girl named Donna. She was very quiet but we had a great conversation. I found out that she had been living in Branson for several years. She was Catholic and has many beliefs that differed from mine. We ended up landing on Jesus and talking about Him for awhile. I could tell she wasn't very grounded in what she believed and I was able to hopefully speak some truth about what Jesus has meant to me in my life and what the Bible says about Him. It ended up being a great conversation and I got to pray for her.
I then struck up a conversation with another man who i began to chat with but then He quickly decided to leave as soon as I brought up the issue of God. 

This was a great experience for me and I was able to learn a ton about myself and other people as I shared. The biggest take away I had from this was the fact that I do not need to be nervous about sharing the Gospel because the Gospel will do the work itself. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile" (Romans 1:16) This verse brings joy and satisfaction to me because I can rest in the power of God and know that He will do the work.

This week we discussed the book of Romans at the Institute. We were able to cover the entire book in about 3 days time. There are so many great take away points from the writings of Paul in this book, but I had one big take away this week, in something that God has been teaching me recently. As God always does, he continues to soften my heart toward His grace and mercy, and continues to allow my flesh to die and realize that I can’t do this on my own. Romans clearly describes the Gospel message and our sole relaiance on Jesus and the Faith we have in Him. This just hit me hard this week. I really am thankful for the fact that Jesus has paid the penalty for my sin and Grace is enough to cover all my transgressions. It is a lesson I continue to learn and understand as time goes, but I truly love God and all that he has done for me, so to the best of my ability I am striving to keep His commands and grow closer to Him. 

This week be encouraged! Know that Christ loves you and has paid the penalty for your sins. Go live in the power of the cross!

This week in the institute we had the chance to hear from several different people and learn about several different topics. Something that was brought up this week and also something that I have been learning lately is on the topic of anxiety. With the next year coming up it has been a little nerve-racking not knowing what I am doing next year, and I have been worrying and wondering if God will come through. The good news about this is that I have scripture to look at. God’s word says that through prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. I know that God has a plan and that he will provide the right situations for me in order for His name to be glorified. That is a comforting fact! 

This week we discussed the book of Hebrews in depth. We had the priveledge of Charles Stoufuss coming in and preaching and it was very informative and applicable. He taught the entire book focusing on the supremecy of Christ and His superiority. One thing that I really liked about this was when we talked about chapter 4 and discussed the satisfaction we have in knowing Christ. It was such an encouragement to remind my self of the fact that Christ is really all we need, and that I must daily surrender myself to that. He stated that “Faith is the condfident vesting of your life in God’s revealed truth.” Such a powerful statement. I was challenged to look at my own Faith. Am I a vesting my life confindently into God’s truth on a daily basis? Are you doing the same? This is something that we should look at everyday. If we truly have Faith, we are boldly digging into God’s truth and His word and trusting in His promises.

Hey again from the Institute!

            This past week in the Institute we were able to discuss the Trinity. Glen Kreider, from Dallas Theological Seminary, came in and taught the material and I learned a ton.  The Trinity is something that I have always heard about growing up in church but I had never really taken the time to sit down and study it. The more we dove into the topic this week the more I realized how little I actually know about the Trinity. The Trinity is the Biblical doctrine that God is one unified God that is made up of 3 separate persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These persons are all distinct from one another, yet are all one God. I have always heard this and believed it but this is the first time I really sat down to think about the details of it. The trinity truly is something that is uncomprehend able. To think that there can be 3 separate beings, yet be one person at the same time is hard to grasp. We know that there are 3 separate being from Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” We see here the trinity clearly described as 3 separate entities. Although, we know that they are all one being because of Isaiah “Declare and set forth your case;
 Indeed, let them consult together.
Who has announced this from of old?
Who has long since declared it?
Is it not I, the Lord?
And there is no other God besides Me, 
A righteous God and a Savior;
 There is none except Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; 
For I am God, and there is no other.” So we have these both being described as 1 being and 3 separate beings at the same time. Definitely a hard concept to grasp but we also have to understand that we can never fully know God living in this broken world, so these mysteries will remain a mystery until we will be ultimately glorified by God someday.

Last week the Institute welcomed Kerby Anderson. He shared on apologetics and covered the issues of the world and how the Bible addresses these topics. I took away several big things from this past week, but one of the biggest takeaways I had was the confidence I have in knowing Jesus as my Lord. We took a look at all these other religions and all these others issues, and nothing stood up to Jesus. I know I was raised in a Christian home and I have always wondered what it would be like If I wouldn’t have been raised the way I was. What if I would have been raised in a different religion and in a different culture? Well I am so thankful that I was raised in a Christian home because the Bible and the message of Jesus are things that make the most sense and the things that I hold to be true. Many other religions force you to rely on yourself and I am so thankful that God lets me rely on Him. I am saved by Faith in Him and it is so freeing and good to know that I do not have to work my way to heaven and that I do not have to rely on the sinful man that I am. I get to put my trust in Jesus!

            So this week, if you  know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior then rest in the fact that He has done the work for you and loves you. Continue to put your trust in Him and study His word. If you do not now the Lord I would encourage you to read a couple verses out of the Bible. (Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, and Romans 10:9-10, 13)

Hey Everyone!

            This past week we at the Institute had the opportunity of getting to hear from Matt Chandler. Matt spoke on the Gospel, and he broke the Gospel down into 4 Categories: GodàManàChristàResponse. The first thing that we notice about these 4 categories is the order in which they are laid out. The Gospel begins with God, the creator of all things. It does not begin with man. We as men, being the sinful creatures that we are, tend to put ourselves at the forefront of the Gospel. We get so wrapped up in what we need and we want that we mess up the intended order of things. Everything begins and ends with the creator, not us!

The second thing that I want to point out about the Gospel is that it is powerful. Romans 1:16-17 says:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”

This is so encouraging. When sharing the Gospel we do not have to stand on our own power, but we trust in the POWER of GOD. This gives confidence to all who believe in the Good news of Jesus Christ. We as believers have been given this good news, and it is our duty to share it. We should never be scared or nervous when telling of the story of Christ because the one who is ultimately doing the work in others hearts is the Lord, and that is such a comforting idea. The Gospel will do the work, not us. We are merely vessels by which it is transmitted.

The last thing that I would like to leave you with today is another encouragement pertaining to the Gospel, and that is that God likes you right now. I’ll say that again, God delights in you, right now! We get wrapped up in this idea that If I do this or If could just stop this, then God will love me. God does not love some future version of you! He loves you at this very minute, and the reason He loves you is because of Christ. Because Christ came and died for our sins we are now acceptable to God, and only His death are we accepted. Ephesians 2: 4-10 says:

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

It is so good to know this. God accepts us the minute we put our Faith in Him. He does not Love the future version of you. He DELIGHTS in you right now. So, go live in this Power, the power of Christ, and proclaim the good news you know!