Here is an article you need to read: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1056294-1,00.html.
If you have ever wondered what it looks like to try to live out faith in college and specifically in the Greek system, this will give you a picture of that. It touches on the challenges of living within the Greek system and other difficult environments in college but also the importance of it. Christians in the Greek system will not be perfect - they face the same temptations and trials as their brothers and sisters - but they see a need. And they are willing to step out of the comfort and protection of the "Christian bubble" in order to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others.
Remember this: "On hearing this, Jesus said to them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners'" (Mark 2:17). He said this in response to being chastised by the Pharisees for dining with "many tax collectors and 'sinners.'" Are you following Jesus' example in this? Or are you asking the same question the Pharisees did?
Monday, November 16, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
the most important...
What is the most important thing you've ever heard? The most important decision you've ever made? This was it for me, and I have good reason to believe that it will be it for you as well. It is referred to as the Gospel. In Greek, Gospel means "good news." And that's just what it is, especially for you and me. So what does this Gospel tell us that is so important? This is a summary of the Gospel with some help from Bill Bright.
God loves you and created you to know Him personally and He has a wonderful plan for your life! And His love is not a conditional love that our world shows us, but an unconditional love. A love that would sacrifice anything to be displayed (John 3:16). And yes, it is a wonderful plan! Not a mediocre plan. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). His plan for us is to know Him personally (John 17:3). So what keeps us from living this full life? What keeps us from knowing Him personally?
Its because people are sinful and separated from God, so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love and plan. So what exactly is sin? Sin was an ancient archery term used to describe when an arrow fired that missed the target. God created us to have fellowship with Him, but because of our stubborn self-will, we chose to go our own independent way and our fellowship with God was broken. This is what sin is: this self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion and passive indifference. As Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God]. So if God is holy and people are sinful, it is impossible for us to establish a personal relationship with Him through our own efforts, such as a good life, philosophy or religion. But God bridged that gap that existed between us and Him.
God's response was Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is God's only provision for our sin. Through Him alone we can know God personally and experience God's love and plan. Jesus died in our place, He paid the wage of death that Romans talks about. And He rose from the dead: "...Christ died for our sins...He was buried, He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:3-4). He is the only way to God and He bridged that gap so that we could have a personal relationship with God. But it's not enough just to know these truths.
We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know God personally and experience His love and plan. We receive Christ through faith by personal invitation. You may have heard it in Sunday school as "asking Jesus into your heart." Receiving Christ involves this: turning to Him from ourself, which is referred to as repentance, and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive us of our sins and make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins or to have an emotional experience is not enough. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.
God is not concerned with the right words but with the attitude of your heart. You can respond in faith through prayer, with one such as this:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.
It's simple, it expresses faith and it acknowledges truth. If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, please don't hesitate to pray it! It is the most important thing I've ever heard. The most important decision I've ever made. It is also the most important thing we can ever tell someone else, especially your brothers and sisters in your houses. Consider that, pray about it and feel free to ask me questions about it (cchogue@gmail.com).
God loves you and created you to know Him personally and He has a wonderful plan for your life! And His love is not a conditional love that our world shows us, but an unconditional love. A love that would sacrifice anything to be displayed (John 3:16). And yes, it is a wonderful plan! Not a mediocre plan. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). His plan for us is to know Him personally (John 17:3). So what keeps us from living this full life? What keeps us from knowing Him personally?
Its because people are sinful and separated from God, so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love and plan. So what exactly is sin? Sin was an ancient archery term used to describe when an arrow fired that missed the target. God created us to have fellowship with Him, but because of our stubborn self-will, we chose to go our own independent way and our fellowship with God was broken. This is what sin is: this self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion and passive indifference. As Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God]. So if God is holy and people are sinful, it is impossible for us to establish a personal relationship with Him through our own efforts, such as a good life, philosophy or religion. But God bridged that gap that existed between us and Him.
God's response was Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is God's only provision for our sin. Through Him alone we can know God personally and experience God's love and plan. Jesus died in our place, He paid the wage of death that Romans talks about. And He rose from the dead: "...Christ died for our sins...He was buried, He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:3-4). He is the only way to God and He bridged that gap so that we could have a personal relationship with God. But it's not enough just to know these truths.
We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know God personally and experience His love and plan. We receive Christ through faith by personal invitation. You may have heard it in Sunday school as "asking Jesus into your heart." Receiving Christ involves this: turning to Him from ourself, which is referred to as repentance, and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive us of our sins and make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins or to have an emotional experience is not enough. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.
God is not concerned with the right words but with the attitude of your heart. You can respond in faith through prayer, with one such as this:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.
It's simple, it expresses faith and it acknowledges truth. If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, please don't hesitate to pray it! It is the most important thing I've ever heard. The most important decision I've ever made. It is also the most important thing we can ever tell someone else, especially your brothers and sisters in your houses. Consider that, pray about it and feel free to ask me questions about it (cchogue@gmail.com).
Monday, October 5, 2009
gather
"For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them." - Matthew 18:20 (ESV)
In a sorority or fraternity house full of 40+ girls or guys, it's hard to believe that someone could ever feel alone. Yet, I have repeatedly heard how lonely students feel in this environment. I have also seen students try to face the incredible hardships and temptations that the Greek system involves alone. It has not yet been a triumphant battle, and I personally don't believe that it is meant to be. Jesus promises us in Matthew that where two or more gathered in His name, He will be present among them. We are humans in need of accountability, enouragement, prayer and even rebuking and correcting. It is impossible for us to receive this if we are separated from the body. And so this has been our prayer, that each house would have two or more believers that can gather in Jesus' name, who can love each other, build each other up, point each other toward Christ. And guess what. He is answering our prayers!
Just in the past couple of weeks, two Bible studies have started up in sorority houses and one more is on the way! And not only did God provide just two or three to gather together, but between eight and ten girls! The mission of Campus Crusade for Christ is to help build spiritual movements everywhere, so that everyone knows someone who truly follows Jesus. The girls in these houses now have access to a body of believers who truly follow Jesus! This is something that some students may never experience throughout their whole time in college. Our prayer is that that will change! These Greek women are being given the opportunity to not only grow together through the Word, through encouragement and through accountability, but they are being given the opportunity to "give light to everyone in the house." Jesus says to His disciples in Matthew 15, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
Let that be our prayer as we pray for the women in these Bible studies, the women in their houses and the students in the Greek system at USC, that they may see their good deeds and praise our Father in heaven. It is sometimes noticeable when there is one person pushing against the crowd as they all walk in one direction, but when there is a group of people making their way against the flow, it is impossible not to notice. Our hope is that they will begin to ask that beloved question: "Why?"
In a sorority or fraternity house full of 40+ girls or guys, it's hard to believe that someone could ever feel alone. Yet, I have repeatedly heard how lonely students feel in this environment. I have also seen students try to face the incredible hardships and temptations that the Greek system involves alone. It has not yet been a triumphant battle, and I personally don't believe that it is meant to be. Jesus promises us in Matthew that where two or more gathered in His name, He will be present among them. We are humans in need of accountability, enouragement, prayer and even rebuking and correcting. It is impossible for us to receive this if we are separated from the body. And so this has been our prayer, that each house would have two or more believers that can gather in Jesus' name, who can love each other, build each other up, point each other toward Christ. And guess what. He is answering our prayers!
Just in the past couple of weeks, two Bible studies have started up in sorority houses and one more is on the way! And not only did God provide just two or three to gather together, but between eight and ten girls! The mission of Campus Crusade for Christ is to help build spiritual movements everywhere, so that everyone knows someone who truly follows Jesus. The girls in these houses now have access to a body of believers who truly follow Jesus! This is something that some students may never experience throughout their whole time in college. Our prayer is that that will change! These Greek women are being given the opportunity to not only grow together through the Word, through encouragement and through accountability, but they are being given the opportunity to "give light to everyone in the house." Jesus says to His disciples in Matthew 15, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
Let that be our prayer as we pray for the women in these Bible studies, the women in their houses and the students in the Greek system at USC, that they may see their good deeds and praise our Father in heaven. It is sometimes noticeable when there is one person pushing against the crowd as they all walk in one direction, but when there is a group of people making their way against the flow, it is impossible not to notice. Our hope is that they will begin to ask that beloved question: "Why?"
Sunday, September 27, 2009
newness of life
"Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." - Romans 6:3-4 (ESV)
The newness of life, or as the NIV says, the "new life." It was the highlight of the weekend as we witnessed five students publicly promise to commit their life to the Lord. They managed to find a deep enough section of the creek that ran beside the camp where we were staying, and, one by one, they lowered themselves into the icy water to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. That wasn't all God had planned though. As we stood in a circle singing praises to our God for new life, the Holy Spirit was moving in the hearts of three more students. Gradually, three more girls made their way forward and quietly requested to be baptized as well. Three more students responding to the call of the Spirit. As they made their way out of the creek, shivering and drenched from head to foot, I gathered with them and a few other students into a circle to pray. Their voices were full of praise and thanksgiving. Five of those eight students are in the Greek system, including Kelsey, who has just been baptized in the picture and is being surrounded by her sorority sisters.
There is something unique about getting to see students experience it from a staff's perspective though. There was an incredible sense of peace and yet overwhelming excitement with the thought of more students getting to experience this same joy, this same "newness of life." That's going to be my full time job! I get to witness the work of the Holy Spirit in students' lives. I get to be an ambassador of Christ to see lost students become Christ-centered laborers. I get to see hearts molded, lives surrendered, the body unified, Christ glorified and so much more! And this is just a small glimpse of what the Holy Spirit can do in the lives of students!
The newness of life, or as the NIV says, the "new life." It was the highlight of the weekend as we witnessed five students publicly promise to commit their life to the Lord. They managed to find a deep enough section of the creek that ran beside the camp where we were staying, and, one by one, they lowered themselves into the icy water to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. That wasn't all God had planned though. As we stood in a circle singing praises to our God for new life, the Holy Spirit was moving in the hearts of three more students. Gradually, three more girls made their way forward and quietly requested to be baptized as well. Three more students responding to the call of the Spirit. As they made their way out of the creek, shivering and drenched from head to foot, I gathered with them and a few other students into a circle to pray. Their voices were full of praise and thanksgiving. Five of those eight students are in the Greek system, including Kelsey, who has just been baptized in the picture and is being surrounded by her sorority sisters.
Just two years earlier at Winter Conference, I had felt that same surge of emotions as I stood during worship after hearing Jaeson Ma speak. I could feel the Holy Spirit so clearly urging me to be baptized that I could hardly keep from shaking. After fighting the feeling for about 15 minutes, I finally felt like I was going to burst if I didn't tell someone so I walked up to my discipler and whispered to her that I wanted to be baptized. She looked at me with a huge smile and we walked out of the room in search of some pool of water. We stumbled upon a fountain in a courtyard and that was where I was baptized. About 20 minutes later, thirty or more students made their way to the same fountain to be baptized as well, about 12 of which were from USC. The Holy Spirit is powerful and He was at work that Saturday afternoon at Fall Retreat in just the same way He was two years ago at Winter Conference in San Diego. In fact, my roommate Casey, who is being baptized in this picture, was then able to baptize two of our sorority sisters at Fall Retreat two years after she was baptized.
There is something unique about getting to see students experience it from a staff's perspective though. There was an incredible sense of peace and yet overwhelming excitement with the thought of more students getting to experience this same joy, this same "newness of life." That's going to be my full time job! I get to witness the work of the Holy Spirit in students' lives. I get to be an ambassador of Christ to see lost students become Christ-centered laborers. I get to see hearts molded, lives surrendered, the body unified, Christ glorified and so much more! And this is just a small glimpse of what the Holy Spirit can do in the lives of students!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
the white flag
So I am finally surrendering and giving into the life of blogs and tweeting. Just kidding, I still refuse to give in to Twitter. So don't worry, you won't be receiving any momentary updates about which shirt I'm wearing today or which drink I just bought at Starbucks. But I think my surrender is properly motivated. I simply discovered that God was doing way too much at USC and in the lives of Greek students to ever be able to fit it all into one prayer letter once a month. And since I'm on a missionary's budget and can't afford to send out more than one prayer letter a month and blogging is free, I figured I'd give it a chance.
So here's just a quick background about what I'm doing and what this blog will be about. I've just joined staff with Campus Crusade for Christ and I've been assigned back to my alma mater, USC, focusing specifically on working with Greek students and expanding the Greek ministry on the campus. If you'd like to find out more information about Greek Life at USC, visit greeklifeusc.com. The purpose of this blog is to simply encourage and bless you by sharing what God is doing in the lives and hearts of students at USC and specifically with Greek students.
Many of you will be receiving my September prayer letter within a few days, but hopefully over the next few posts I can expand and highlight some of the things you will receive glimpses of in my newsletter. It is way too much to fit in just one post because I don't want to scare anyone away on my first posting with my lengthy bantering. Just know, there's exciting stuff to come :)
So here's just a quick background about what I'm doing and what this blog will be about. I've just joined staff with Campus Crusade for Christ and I've been assigned back to my alma mater, USC, focusing specifically on working with Greek students and expanding the Greek ministry on the campus. If you'd like to find out more information about Greek Life at USC, visit greeklifeusc.com. The purpose of this blog is to simply encourage and bless you by sharing what God is doing in the lives and hearts of students at USC and specifically with Greek students.
Many of you will be receiving my September prayer letter within a few days, but hopefully over the next few posts I can expand and highlight some of the things you will receive glimpses of in my newsletter. It is way too much to fit in just one post because I don't want to scare anyone away on my first posting with my lengthy bantering. Just know, there's exciting stuff to come :)
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