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).
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