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Student Ministry - October

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Dear Church Family,

As I have been thinking about the trends of culture and their effect on students, something that the Lord continues to remind me of is the need for Christian parents and grandparents in the lives of the younger generations. I do not mean that kids and students just need Christian parents and grandparents. I mean that kids and students need Christian parents and grandparents that are intentionally investing the gospel into their lives. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 22:6 to “train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

In today’s society, as soon as students enter into public school and public colleges, they immediately run into opposition to their faith. The older our children get, the more the world will try to distract them from the truth and convince them to walk away from Christianity. It is as important now as ever to train our children and students in the “way they should go.” But what does the mean?

It means that we need to intentionally raise our children in the instruction of a Christian, Biblical Worldview. They also need to be raised knowing what the world thinks and how to interact with the lies of Satan. We do not have to completely shelter them from false worldviews and ideologies, but we do have to teach them the right worldview and faith so they can stand strong in the Lord when opposition comes. So what is the Christian worldview?

Every worldview seeks to answer 4 main questions. The first is, where did we come from? The second is, what went wrong, or what is wrong with the world? The third, how do we fix it? And the fourth is, what will things be like after that?

The Bible gives us clear answers to all of these questions. We come from God. He created us and all of creation out of nothing. The problem is that we sinned and have rebelled against Him, bringing death and destruction to all of creation. The solution is not found is us, but in Him. He sent Jesus the Son to take the penalty of our sins and bring us back into a right relationship with God. Through trusting in Him and what He has done for us, we will be given eternal life to live out the purpose for which we were made. And one day, all of creation will be fully restored under the loving and sovereign rule of Jesus Christ, with whom we also will reign.

This is a very simple overview of the Christian, biblical worldview. These simple but profound truths, however, give us everything we need to find joy and fulfillment in this life. All we need to do is trust what God has said about these things in His Word for our sins to be washed away and our lives to have meaning. These are the truths we must believe and live out. To say we have a Christian worldview but fail to live it out will not cut it. That is like saying that you believe the airplane will fly but never trusting it enough to actually let it take you anywhere. Our Children need to be taught God’s worldview, but they also need to see us live it out. May the Lord give us grace to teach this, believe this, and live this out for the generations to come.

Posted by Brian Van Doren with
in Newsletter, Worship

Worship - October

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This Sunday we celebrated the Lord’s Supper, and even though we are doing it somewhat differently than what we have in the past, this is something that each of us has done at least a couple of times a year since we became Christians. In nearly every church I have been in, the leadership of the church sets aside a few minutes to remind the congregation of the importance and solemn nature of this ceremony.  Even with these constant reminders, however, our tendency is to lose our wonder and grow accustomed to what is being celebrated.  We eat the bread, we drink the cup, and before we know it, it’s all over with and we’re ready to move on with our day.  If we are not careful, our muscle memory takes over, and we have consumed the elements and barely given any thought to the Gospel.  I don’t think that is what Christ had in mind when He said, “Do this in remembrance of me.”

Oftentimes when I am meditating on the Lord’s Supper I like to go back to the Old Testament.  I love the Old Testament because the more I study it, the more I understand how it points forward to the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross.  And when it comes to the Lord’s Supper, I love to go back to the Passover in particular.  It was during the Passover feast that Christ gave his disciples the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, and I have no doubt that He did so for a reason.  There is a song that I came across a couple of years ago which I think beautifully connects these two earth shattering events, and helps us to refocus our hearts on the cross during communion.  The song is by Caroline Cobb and Sean Carter, and is called “The Passover Song”.  The song begins with the phrase, “There’s a promise in our veins, but it’s faded by all these years in chains.”  It speaks of the children of Israel held captive in Egypt, and reminds us of the promises that God made both to Adam and Eve and to Abraham.  To Adam and Eve God promised that their offspring would crush the head of the serpent, though the serpent would bruise his heel (Genesis 3:15), and to Abraham God promised that through his offspring all the families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3, Galatians 3:7-9).  Thus within the bloodline of Abraham's offspring there was a promise of blessing and redemption.  The problem was, the children of Israel were hopelessly enslaved in the land of Egypt.  Telling of the coming of Moses, the song goes on to say, “Send a prophet, send the plagues, That by sunrise we will no more be slaves."

Bringing us to the very night of Passover, the song then says, "Take the lamb, take the blood, and paint it on our doorways.  At night death will come but pass us by... This is all our hope and peace".  God's wrath was coming down upon the nation of Egypt, manifested in the death of the firstborn of every single family in the land. But in His graciousness, God provided a means of escape, and anyone who would kill the lamb, consume its flesh, and paint its blood on the doorway of their house, their household would be spared.  The nation of Israel was then instructed to reenact the ceremonies of Passover as a means of remembrance, teaching one generation after another of God's salvation that came through judgment.

However, within the story told through this song we take a sudden turn when it says, "There's a poison in our veins, and it leads to death we cannot escape."  Romans 5:12 reminds us that coursing through each of our veins is death which comes through sin.  This time, however, the song does not call for a prophet and plagues, but says, "Send a ransom, a perfect son.  Remedy the curse by his precious blood."  As bad as the "years in chains" were for the nation of Israel, their slavery pales in comparison to the curse of sin.  Thus no animal's blood would ever be sufficient to wipe away the stain of sin.

Now, completing our journey from the Passover to the cross, the song says, "And the lamb that will come, his cross will be our doorway.  And the red of His blood will make us white.  And the daughters and sons rejoice in resurrection! And death is swallowed up in endless life."

This is what we are celebrating and remembering when we eat the bread and drink the cup together, and in doing so we are proclaiming the Lord's death until He comes. 

Posted by Derek Niffenegger with

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