Most of us do whatever it takes to avoid the subject of death. We try to block it out, ignore it, do whatever it takes not to face this inescapable reality. Maybe sooner, maybe later, but inescapable nonetheless.

It may be a subject we don’t like to think about, but death puts everything into perspective. Death is really good at resizing things in our lives. It makes the big issues not seem so big and the little issues microscopic.

The truth is that sin has entered this world and brought it’s friend, death, with it. Death spread to everyone because everyone sinned. This package came as a result of our rejection of and rebellion against our Creator. We thought we knew better than He did. And where we find ourselves now is the result of that “knowing better.” And if God were to let everyone continue down that path, we would all end up finding ourselves separated from Him forever.

But the story doesn’t end there. That same God who created us to enjoy Him forever entered into human history on a rescue mission as the God-man, Jesus Christ. He lived perfectly, died painfully on a cross, taking the bullet of God’s wrath and punishment upon Himself for all those who would turn from sin to Him and believe. He took the death sentence for crimes He didn’t commit.  The innocent One dies in the place of the guilty ones. The punishment that was upon Him brings peace with God. Getting up out of the grave three days later, He put death to death. He killed the thing that’s killing us. He died the death we should’ve died for our rebellion and extends the life forever with Him that we don’t deserve. The only thing we deserve is a guilty judgement, but through the cross, what we can receive is grace. Unmerited favor. He offers rescue from the hell we deserve to be adopted into His family for all of eternity.

This is urgent. We’re all dying. Christ invites you to be ransomed back to God through His blood spilled on the cross. Our only hope of rescue is to cling to the one who paid the fines. Nothing else will do. No religion. No philosophy. No bargain. No good work. Just Christ crucified. Run to Him while you still have breath in your lungs. And plead with others to do the same…

Dave Voetberg

Check out Klint Ware, our student intern’s, blog on evangelism as well.

Parents!

It’s a new school year, and with all things new it’s always good to start on the same page. So, here are our cards. Everything we are about and do so you guys know what to expect and where we are headed. For some of you this is old news, for others like our new sixth grade parents, this is all new.

Enjoy!

What is your mission?

• The Village Middle School Ministry exists to bring glory to God through lives changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

What is your style of ministry?

• We are…
  • Gospel-centered: We hope to graduate godly, not good, kids from this ministry. The birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are central in all of our teaching.
  • Supplemental: We do not replace parents or take over the parental role of discipleship. Our goal is to assist, encourage and supplement parents as they fulfill the biblical command to train children up in the ways of the Lord.
  • Relational: We value relationships over entertainment and big events. Our student to volunteer ratio is 5:1.

What type of programming do you offer?

• Crash: Sundays at 9:00-10:30 a.m. A large group worship and Bible study gathering designed with your Middle Schooler in mind.
• HomeGroups: Wednesday Nights. 7:00-8:30pm. Small group community and discipleship. Located at various Covenant Members’ Home in the Flower Mound, Highland Village and Lewisville area.

What annual events do you hold?

• SPIN Weekend: Late February. SPIN is a weekend, in-house retreat.
• Summer Camp: Early July. Camp is a week-long, retreat in the mountains of Colorado.
• GoGive Mission Trip: Late July. GoGive is a week-long mission trip in South Dallas
• FOCUS Fall Retreat: Early October.

What do you teach?

• We don’t teach morality. Behavior modification is not what we work towards. We present the gospel, teach the Bible, and pray for heart-transformation. The Holy Spirit has to do this work. We gather the kindling and get that fire as prepped and ready as possible.
• We do this through a comprehensive, three-year teaching plan.
  • One year through a Gospel (John)
  • One year through an Old Testament and New Testament Book (Genesis & Ephesians)
  • One year covering various month-long topical series

How do you communicate to parents?

• E-mail: The Weekly What’s Up! A weekly e-mail sent on Thursdays at 4 p.m. If you wish to be added, send an e-mail and request to students@thevillagechurch.net
• Website: Before you e-mail or call us about information, take a minute or two to look on the web. More than likely, it’s on there. If not, please e-mail your question to students@thevillagechurch.net
• Text MSG plan. We use this for up-to-the-minute changes and status. You can sign up to receive these texts on our website. http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/middle-school

 What are your needs?

• HomeGroup and Crash Leaders (A teaching/discipling role)
• Up/Down Crew (Logistical help. Preparing for and cleaning up after events)
• Welcome Team (Greeting, Check-in, and Connecting Guests)
• Spring SPIN Weekend Host Homes. Last year we needed ver 40 homes. This year we are expecting over 60.

How can I become involved?

• Crash or HomeGroup Leader
• Open up your home as a HomeGroup host family
• Coach: coaches mentor and encourage our student ministry volunteers
• Behind the scenes stuff
  • Admin
  • Greeter
  • Crash Host
  • Cook (events)
  • Drive Buses/Vans
  • Dean
  • Balloon Artists
• If any of these positions interest you, e-mail us at students@thevillagechurch.net

How do you assist me in training up my child to follow and love God?

• Pray for you and for your child. We don’t take the power and effectiveness of prayer lightly. Acts 6.4 says the early ministers devoted themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word. E-mail, call, facebook, twitter, text, however you want, ways I and our team can be praying for your child. I believe God hears and answers those prayers.
• Put tools and resources in your hands. (Books, websites, and curriculum we create for our students) http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/middle-school/family
• We have a volunteer team stacked with godly men and women who want to know and encourage you. And know your child and point them to Christ. We strongly believe relationships are avenues/lanes for the gospel to be heard, seen and take root. Please get to know these volunteers, invite them into your homes, and team up with them as they invest in your child’s spiritual development.

Hope this helps! Thanks for reading.

I hope all of you had the opportunity to hear Matt Chandler’s sermon this past Sunday about prayer. If you didn’t, I would highly recommend that you listen to the podcast. As I listened, I sat in the beautiful collision of deep conviction and overwhelming love.

God’s graciousness on our continued rebellion is so sweet, so loving and so patient that our minds can hardly fathom it. I couldn’t help but repeat prayers of thankfulness that I don’t get the only thing that I deserve: death. Despite this, I was left asking what good is it to know the love of God or to feel the conviction of His Spirit if it never manifests itself in our lives?

According to the Westminster Catechism, prayer “is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.”

Many of us view prayer as something we do before meals and before we go to sleep, if we’re not too tired. We don’t know what it looks like to pursue the discipline of prayer on a daily basis. Why is that? Do we think God doesn’t hear our prayers? In Isa. 65:21, the prophet says God does hear our prayers. In fact, it says that before we even call, He will answer.

Do we think our supplications annoy God much like we would be if asked the same question over and over? Again, Isa. 62:6-7 tells us otherwise: “you who put the Lord in remembrance take no rest, and give him no rest”.

In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul says, “be constant in prayer” (Rom. 12) and to Ephesus, “In all circumstances … Praying at all times” (Eph. 6), to Philippi, “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4), to Colossae, “continue steadfastly in prayer” (Col. 4) and again to the church of the Thessalonians, “pray without ceasing” (1 Thes. 5).

Forgive the repetition, but I wanted to get my point across that Paul obviously understood something about the value of prayer that we don’t. I would agree that we all know that we should pray, but we don’t believe that we should pray. If we believed it, the nations would shake and, according to 2 Chronicles, our land would be healed; in other words, we would see a revival (2 Chron. 7).

As a parent of a middle school student, hear this: The student ministry staffers aren’t the only people your children are looking to as models for the way they live their lives. The way you pray—or don’t pray—teaches your kids about prayer. So to be honest, it’s up to you: Either teach your kids to humble themselves before the Lord, seek His face, and pray like the Scriptures command us to, or let them be another generation of Christians who pray when they eat (not that thanking God for provision is wrong in the slightest).

In no way do I believe that I have the discipline of prayer figured out. In actuality, I would probably be embarrassed for you all to know the lack of consistency with which I have prayed up to this point. But let us together “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14) and “Press on to make it [righteousness] my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own” (Phil. 3:12). If you believe today in Jesus, He has made you His own … so press on. He is closer than you know.

 May your conviction spur you on toward righteousness in Christ,

Klint Ware

Village Student Intern

Summer seems hotter and shorter than ever. School is only a few, too short, weeks away. Another June and July have gone by and what good has come from it? Did you get a tan? Did you get to sleep in? 

I know that vacationing is important. I wouldn’t trade a good retreat for anything. But a life of ease should be no one’s goal in life. The Bible doesn’t promise or promote it. I’m terrified we’ve taught the next generation that their goal should be to do as little as possible to get as much as possible.

I was talking to my home group last night about how much time we’ve wasted. About how each day is a gift from the Lord and how many of our short hours come and go with no eternal difference being made.

Our student ministry staff is reading a book on evangelism in preparation for our theme for this next year. I know personally, as I reflect on my summer and really the last few years of my life, it almost makes me sick how much of my calendar has been wasted on making life more comfortable in this world.

There are people I desperately care about who don’t know the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Nothing but my own selfishness has kept them from hearing about it from me.

Another summer has gone by, and I’ve shared the gospel more boldly this year than any year in my memory and yet the number of people in my community that are convinced that God exists to bring them blessing in the form of comfort seems insurmountable.

I’m praying for myself, my fiancé, and for The Village families that we would grow an eternal mindset that supersedes our selfish demands for a comfortable life. I want a holy discontentment with the American way of life.

I don’t want to steal one more day from the Lord. He gave it to me to use it for His glory.

I have several opportunities lined up to share the gospel this week with people who don’t know Jesus. Pray I would be bold and that the Holy Spirit would be where my words and strength come from.

I’m hoping that meeting Jesus face to face will be a reunion for you and not an introduction.

Parents!

We are two days into our south Dallas Mission Trip (GoGive) and things couldn’t be going better! Each day from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. we run a Backyard Bible Club for about 40 neighborhood kids at Exline Park. Our students lead and teach a 30 minute Bible study on the redemption narrative (today we covered the fall and sin), then we make a craft and spend the rest of the time building relationships through games.

From 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. we have been scraping and painting away at Ms.
Johnson’s house on Greer Street. She’s in her early 80s (but you’d never guess it) and is so excited about having a fresh coat of white paint on her house.

I’ve included a few pictures from the first few days so you can see exactly what we’ve been up to down here. Continue to pray for us and the people we get to meet and encounter every day.

Just in case we think the Parade involves simply just kickin’ back in complacency and ease while the world around us bleeds, I want to try and paint a picture that deconstructs that unbiblical idea. The victory we have in Christ and our celebration of the gospel is to overflow out of us in fanatical Christian sacrifice. As John Piper put it, “God is calling us to be conduits (pipes/tunnels) of his grace, not cul-de-sacs.” We’re off the tracks when we dam up the mercy of Christ instead of pouring ourselves out for the glory of God in this world, as a response to what He’s done for us.

In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul informs the believers in Corinth about the churches in Macedonia, saying that “in a severe test of affliction their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty has overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.” Their joy in Christ spilled over into a heap of giving. Even in severe affliction and poverty! The good news of Jesus took root in these believers’ hearts. They saw Christ as greater gold than all the world. And they were willing to give themselves up and suffer because he was worth it to them. What they were giving up didn’t compare to the diamond of God. Moses too “considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.” So for those of us who have been declared stainless by the blood of Jesus-what will we do now in response to what He’s done? How hard will we go for God? When we look through the Scriptures, we see people who not only gave thanks to God with their mouths, but were willing to give up everything out of the overflow of joy in Jesus. The same must be true for those of us who trust in Christ. The cross of Christ set a never-ending parade in motion, but in this world, the parade will be on the battlefield. And in this war “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” As 2 Timothy says, the devil has taken unbelievers “captive to do his will.”

So, not everyone’s a part of this celebration. Many are still under the wrath of God and enslaved to sin. And that means we must go to them. Billions of people in our world aren’t living for the One who created them. And it’s our job as His representatives to tell them about the Savior who can smash their sin to pieces and bring them back to God. The sad reality is that for so many us, we’ve let American culture dictate the way we live more than Jesus Christ. Just because we live in America doesn’t mean we need to live the easy life. Instead of falling into the norm of comfortable living, Christ calls us onto the Calvary road. Christians in America are not exempt from this calling. Pouring ourselves out to get the world drinking water and Living water should not be a rarity among us. Filling physical stomachs with food and spiritual stomachs with the gospel should constantly be continuing after we get back from missions trips. If our existence isn’t characterized by Christ and His Mission, we’re wasting our lives. Wasting – throwing them away like unfinished food. We were made for Him.

Heaven’s coming, but it’s not here yet… the building is still on fire. We must engage; it’s Christ or nothing! To be an ambassador for the God who offers terms of peace through the good news is a beautiful privilege. And to get involved in civilian affairs, wasting our lives on us, is a sad substitute for that privilege.

It’s a scary world out there, but what Jesus told His disciples is true for believers today as well – “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Christ isn’t gonna bail on us. Through the mockery, rejection and persecution, He’ll be there.

So may we, empowered by The Holy Spirit, “go to (Jesus) outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” And when we get Home, we will fully partake in the eternal celebration of God, with no tears, pain or death. But until then, we’re at war and we celebrate Jesus while marching on the battlefield. Not while locked in hideaways ignoring the cry of the poor, but instead rushing into all the world with the good news that Christ came into the world to rescue sinners. Don’t miss this! Urgently engage! Join the parade on the battlefield!

“..thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession.”-2 cor. 2:14.

I’ve been stuck on this parade metaphor for awhile now. I think it’s such a beautiful picture of what Jesus got started because of His cross.

Victory has been given to losers through the perfect performance of God in the flesh.

He’s done for sinners what they’re incapable of accomplishing themselves. I’m marching in a parade that I don’t deserve to be a part of. But this is the beauty of the gospel… that Jesus took the blame for wrong He didn’t commit and paid the debt He didn’t owe. He made a way for us to glorify forever the God we don’t deserve. So the robes of righteousness that believers are clothed in came wrapped, we didn’t fork over the payment ourselves. I’m the all-year benchwarmer, and Jesus is the one-man team who won the Super Bowl. I won ‘cause He won for me. He took care of everything. Christ paid it all.

I love how this is painted in Romans 7 when Paul goes into a lengthy description of the flesh that he’s so tired of. Right near the end of the passage, in discouraged frustration, Paul cries out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Then in an ecstatic turn, Paul replies to himself, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” This reality shines brighter than that reality.

He had a reason to celebrate. And that reason for celebration definitely didn’t come from inside of Him. He had just lamented how much of a wreck He was; this sure isn’t the type of guy who would call himself a “good person.” So the reason for Paul’s celebration wasn’t Paul, and it also wasn’t Paul’s circumstances. In 2 Cor. 4 He says, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” So he looked at himself, and had no motivation for celebration. He looked at his circumstances, and that wasn’t a rock he could stand on either. But then he looked at Jesus… and that made him leap for joy! That was a parade Paul wanted to get in on. So the believer’s boast is not a claim to be something special in himself,  but a celebration of the One who casts “all our sins into the depths of the sea” so that we could enjoy Him for eternity. That’s the goal in all of this. That’s what makes the trumpets worth blowin’ and the tambourines worth bangin’. Christ doesn’t simply open the cell doors of the prisons; “the righteous (suffered) for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.”

It’s not the streets of gold that will make heaven so heavenly, it’s that we will get to be with God, always. We get Him — forever. For eternities to come we will gaze upon the face of The One who was, and is, and will always be. The King of Kings will be what we adore. The Lord of Lords will be our prize. That’s what makes the parade worth marching in.

A Biblical Command

You could spend hours and waste lots of ink trying to hash out what a parent’s role in the life of his or her child is. And while modern opinions on the subject vary greatly, three commands surface over and over again throughout the Scriptures. They are:

• Provide and Protect
• Train and Instruct
• Discipline and Admonish

I’d like to talk briefly about your role as protector and how that should play out in today’s context and culture. Obviously times have changed since the biblical authors wrote down these instructions and you won’t need to focus your time and attention protecting them from wild beasts and marauding Canaanites. But there still are evils trying to break down your door and steal your child’s attention, affections and soul.

What They Are Facing

Let me give you an example. Last week I had a conversation with an eighth grader, and he was telling me about the ever so common struggle with lust. He said, “Matt, it’s real difficult to keep my mind and thoughts pure when girls I go to school with are constantly offering to text me pictures of themselves.” And by pictures he didn’t mean of their smiling faces. (For more info on “Sexting” read this CNN article.) Here was a solid, Jesus-loving, young man, trying to glorify God with his thoughts and keep his mind pure, and he’s faced with a temptation like this. My heart broke for him and I told him he is doing the right and good thing by stiff-arming those Proverbs 5 (forbidden) women.

He doesn’t and shouldn’t be alone in this fight. How are you as parents protecting your children from such things? There’s nothing wrong with giving your kid a cell phone. It makes life and communication with them more convenient for you. But, with every freedom and privilege you put in their hands comes more responsibility for them…and for you. Do you monitor their cell phones? Do you protect them from certain evils that might come with privileges like this? They might not like it, but you’re not trying to win a popularity contest. You’re fulfilling your biblical command to protect your child.

How You Can Help

If you don’t have some type of internet monitoring software installed on your home computers, this is a must. Eleven is the average age kids stumble upon online porn, and it’s usually by accident. Here are some services out there to help you monitor what they are viewing.

http://www.sentryparentalcontrols.com/

http://www.guardiansoftware.com/index.html

http://www.webwatcherkids.com/

And when it comes to cell phones, depending on your service provider, there are different parental control options you can activate on their plans. For example, you can lock their phone out past a certain hour at night preventing friends from texting late into the night. These services vary so you’ll have to check with your cell phone service provider. In addition to this, you should be checking your child’s cell phone use and activity. Again, they may not like it and see it as an invasion of their privacy, but you must ask yourself which is more important, protecting them or giving them privacy.

My hope is that your child will eventually see these steps as your effort to protect them from what might rob them of joy and satisfaction in the Lord. But for now it may be one of those “you’ll-thank-me-later” moves you have to make.

Matt

Parents!

I wanted to follow up last week’s blog with some very practical ways to make regular Bible study and prayer a common occurrence in your home. The following three links are gems and will help you as your pastor your children.

Praying for you as you do.

matt

http://blog.marshillchurch.org/2010/04/19/how-can-we-better-study-the-bible-with-our-spouses-and-children/

http://theresurgence.com/how_i_pastor_my_family

http://relit.org/pastordad/

So I’ve been thinking about Mormons a lot lately. PBS recently aired a four hour fun-filled documentary on the LDS (Latter-Day Saints) faith and I’ve had Mormons on the mind ever since. From its cloudy beginnings with Joseph Smith and his disappearing golden tablets to its current world-wide explosion and evangelization, the film digs deep into the 13 million (and growing) member church. I watched it twice and could probably benefit from another showing. There was a lot to take in as much of this relatively new faith is shrouded in mystery and secrecy. And while they’ve got Jesus and the gospel all wrong, how they practice what they incorrectly believe puts many of us evangelicals to shame. Especially when it comes to faith and family.

The film’s director, Helen Whitney dedicates an entire segment of the documentary to dissecting Mormon’s theology, beliefs, and teachings about family. To highlight and uncover how Mormon teaching plays out within the context of family, the film-makers took it to the house (literally) by putting a film crew inside the home of a typical Mormon family. And I’d like to share a quote from one of the very articulate Mormon teenage daughters that rocked me.

“…rain or shine, like it or not, we bunker down together Monday nights and sing a few songs, and sometimes, we’ll have some really profound lesson or really fun activity, and sometimes we’ll just do Family Home Evening because we know we’re supposed to do it. And either way, it’s really good for us to spend time together, which is a rarity in today’s world.

The church and my family are so intertwined, and I just can’t begin to imagine trying to bifurcate those. And when you come into a home that has priesthood leadership and that has people living together focused on the same eternal goals, it just creates a kind of aura of love and peace. It makes your home a holy place.”

Making Home a Holy Place

Since 1970, after the Mormon president designated Monday nights as Family Home Evening, practicing Mormons set aside the evening and devote it entirely to family worship, prayer, study and community. While this idea is not foreign to us evangelicals and we understand the importance of something like it, how many of us actually do it? When is the last time your family sat down together for the sole purpose of engaging and worshipping the living God through prayer, Bible study and singing? Here’s a brutally honest question, if you told your kids you were going to do this together as a family, would they look at you like you were crazy…because they’ve never experienced anything like it before?

If you’re wrestling with where to even start and what to talk about; two things. I suggest either using the Crash Lesson Outline we attach to the parent e-mail or notes you personally took during the main service message as a spring board for discussion. And make sure to pray with your kids. One of the most encouraging things you can do as a parent is pray for and over your child. Let them hear you plead to the Father on their behalf.

One last thing. While it’s never too late to start something like this, the later you start, the more awkward and strange it will feel. Trying to introduce time like this with teenagers who have never done it before will be a struggle at first. But don’t give up. Fight through it and like the Mormon girl said “rain or shine, like it or not” bunker down together.

Praying for you as you do,

matt