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Spare Change - July 2022

Spark Studios VBS has come and gone for another year.  I must say that I really love VBS.  Even with all the craziness of the event, it is still one of the best things we do all year.  This year we had about 150 children each night.  We also did VBS with about 50 kids at the Summer Day Camp.  This means we were able to minister to over 200 kids that week.

VBS or Vacation Bible School is such an amazing program.  For one week we all come together to put on this program full of Bible lessons, games, crafts, snacks, music and more.  The kids love it!  It takes a ton of volunteers to make it all happen.  We had an average of 80 volunteers each night.  The only thing I can say to our volunteers is THANK YOU!  I know it is a sacrifice for everyone serving in VBS.  I hope you know your sacrifice is worth it.  When we serve the Lord in any capacity, we honor Him.  VBS is special because we get to connect with children and families, but we also get to share the life-changing truth of the gospel.  That is why VBS is so important.  That is why I am so grateful to all the volunteers that made it happen. 

We had 22 kids respond to the invitation.  We are currently following up with these children and their parents.  We pray that their decision was real, and they will follow in
baptism soon.

I just wanted to drop a quick word of thanks and an encouragement for all that tirelessly serve in the church in any capacity.  The Bible says in Matthew 5:14-16,

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

This verse comes very early on in the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus wants to make sure His followers understand they are like a light.  We learn from 1 John 1:5 that God is light, meaning that He is pure, righteous, and holy. There is no darkness or stain of sin in God.  Believers are given the righteousness of Christ in place of our sin; we are transformed from beings of darkness to beings of light.  Simply by living the Christian life in a way that glorifies God we are displaying God’s light.

Jesus makes the logical argument that no one would light a lamp and put it under a basket.  That would be crazy.  If you take the time to turn on a light it is because you need to see, it is because the surrounding area is dark.  God has set His people ablaze in the darkness of the world.  I am sure no one will argue that the world is very dark.  The sin that runs rampant in the hearts of people knows no end.  The only hope to combat the darkness is the light of the gospel of Jesus.

Jesus calls us the light of the world.  Meaning that we are to stand in this world displaying God’s light by serving in the name of Jesus and sharing the gospel.  Jesus says that people will see what we are doing and how we are living, and they will give glory to God.  The light cannot help but shine bright, it cannot help but illuminate the darkness.  It should be the same for Christians. 

It should be impossible for us to hide our faith.  It should be impossible for us to stop telling people about Jesus.  It should be impossible for us to stop serving others.

I say all of this as an encouragement to all those that serve in the church and in the community.  You are bringing glory to God’s name.  According to Hebrews 6:10, God sees your works.  He knows that you love Him, and you are working for His name.  Keep up the good work!

If you are not serving somewhere and you identify as a Christian, then you need to get going!  Find a place to serve.  God has given you gifts and abilities to use for His kingdom.  Don’t hide your light, let it shine so everyone can see!

Student Ministry - July 2022

How does one change the world? Most people I know would say that they hope their life and work makes an impact on the world. They want to make the world a better place. Even people with extremely divergent opinions on most matters in life have the common desire to make things better. But how one goes about doing that and what “better” really means is where the difficulty lies. As Christians, how would we answer that question? How does a Christian change the world and make it better?

As we read scripture, we see that Jesus came into the world because He knew it was broken and in need of fixing. Sin is the ultimate cause of this brokenness, and its symptoms are wide and varied. Some words that scripture uses to describe the brokenness Jesus saw are “distressed and dispirited” (Matt. 9:36). People are still distressed and dispirited in the world today. They are oppressed and crushed by the sins of others as well as their own sins. They are lost without a shepherd, and many think they don’t need one. Jesus’ response is what we need to consider as Christians. Jesus responded with compassion and a commission (Matt. 9:37-38, 28:18-20, John 4:34-38). He feels for the lost in this world (something for which we should all be personally thankful), and He told His disciples to do something about it!

Of course, we know that His life, death, and resurrection is what saves us from our sins and the disappointments of this world. The Bible calls this the gospel. Surprisingly, Jesus has chosen to make this news known to people through His disciples. If you call yourself a Christian, then that means you! You are someone He has called to go into the field of the world, sow the seed of the gospel, and reap the harvest of souls coming to know Him as their personal Savior. We must remember what Jesus said about this call so we can faithfully fulfill His command.

Here are 4 things Jesus tells us about the task we have been given:

1) A lot of people need the gospel (Matt. 9:37). The harvest is large. There are a lot of people who need to hear the gospel and be saved from their sins and the  disappointments of this world (what an understatement!). Do we know this and feel this?

2) A lot of people are ready for the gospel (John 4:35). The harvest is ripe. There are many people who are ready and eager to hear the message of the gospel and be saved from their sins and disappointments of this world. Do we believe this?

3) We need more people to proclaim the gospel (Matt. 9:37-38). There are not a lot of harvesters. There were not many people ready and able to proclaim the gospel and point people to Christ in that day. And by comparison of the numbers of people living now, there are still not very many people ready and able to proclaim the gospel and point people to Christ to be saved from their sins and the disappointments of this world. Are we moved by this?

4) We need to be faithful to the work of the gospel (John 4:36-38). Working in the field of the harvest means sometimes you reap, sometimes you sow. Sometimes you are just telling people the gospel and they couldn’t care less. Sometimes you are telling people the gospel and they receive and believe immediately. You don’t know what part of God’s work in that person’s heart you are playing, but it doesn’t matter. It is all God’s harvest for God’s glory. How amazing is it that we get to be a part! Will we faithfully obey?

My prayer is that every genuine disciple of Christ would take what our Savior said to heart and respond with a desire to live in loving and faithful obedience to Him who first loved us! We have a job to do and a world to change. All we need to do is live and share the gospel and encourage and equip others to do the same. Let’s get to it!