A LIGHT IN THE DARK

For the second year in a row I’ve had the great privilege of serving with Oakridge Middle School’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). Coach Tom Speigal has been overseeing this group for the last few years and has poured many hours into the students in hopes they might hear and respond to the gospel. Before this school year started, Coach Tom asked me to take a run with the “Bible” portion of the club. Without hesitation I excitedly accepted.

The normal routine of the club is to start with prayer, then jump into game time (ie. football, soccer, basketball, volleyball, etc.). Afterwards, we sit down with a snack and open God’s Word together. 

Yesterday, November 2nd, much like every Monday afternoon I was sitting in the parking lot of Oakridge Middle School waiting for the bell to ring and for school to let out so I could go in and get ready for FCA. As I was sitting and reading from Romans 5, the passage I would be teaching from, I felt the Holy Spirit prompt me to pray specifically for light to be shared in the dark. I prayed that the gospel would be clear and that students would be able to understand the implications of it on their lives.

Later that afternoon, at the end of my teaching, I gave the students a direct opportunity to respond to the gospel. I asked if there were any students who prayed to trust Christ, and if there were, for them to look up at me and catch my eye, while everyone else kept their heads bowed. To my amazement between eight and 12 students looked straight up at me. It was an overwhelming and exciting feeling. 

Unfortunately, we had to dismiss rather quickly after that, but I look forward to following up with these students next week and to continue to be a part of their weekly gatherings. Would you pray with me for these students? I am excited for what Christ is doing in this school! 

-Jason Nigh

WHAT NOW? - PART 1

Well we’re a couple of weeks removed from our four nights of “Revive Us” worship gatherings. If you were able to make it to any or all of the nights, I pray you were blessed. It certainly was a powerful time to come together, 3 congregations, one church with one heart and focus to seek the Lord and worship Him. God was truly gracious to allow His Spirit to move amongst us and to allow His Word to pour deep into our hearts. As we stated on multiple occasions, that time was not to be seen as a one-time event, but really as a catalyst for deeper spiritual renewal that hopefully overflows into a renewed commitment to pursue the Lord and live more fully into His mission. I would venture to say though, that many of us are probably still operating or suffering from a “what now” hang-over, and let me just say that’s normal. But we certainly don’t want to stay in that place. We don’t want our spiritual walk to be made up of or fueled by spiritual experiences or programmed events. Those things are great and beneficial, but our God is much bigger than that. He is active every day, and His glory is on display at all times.

So here is what we want to do over the next few weeks. We want to release a few blog posts that we hope will encourage and assist you in continuing to foster, with the help and power of the Holy Spirit, a mentality and heart of continual dependence upon God and desperation for His continual renewal. At the end of our time at “Revive Us” we made cards available that had the 7 Distinguishing Marks of Renewal from Jonathan Edwards, and on the back were 7 prayerful suggestions the Elders laid out for us to give attention to in this season. Let me quickly review those 7 suggestions and leave you with some final thoughts.

1. Pray that God would grow your hunger and longing for His Word. If you don’t already have a reading plan consider using Summit’s monthly reading plan. (Jeremiah 15:16)
2. Spend time in prayer daily. Consider using time in your car or another moment during your day to commune with your Heavenly Father through prayer. (1 Thess. 5:16-18)
3. Ask God to continue to grow your dependence on Him and your neediness for Him. (John 15:5, Matthew 5:3)
4. Strive to deal ruthlessly with sin, asking God for His grace to repent from any and all things that do not glorify Him. (Psalm 32:5, Isaiah 55:6-7)
5. Consider who you might invite into this journey with you– a spouse, friend, co-worker. Be committed to community. (Hebrews 10:24-25, Ecc. 4:9-12)
6. Ask God to give you His heart for the lost around you. Ask the Lord for continual opportunities to share the Gospel. (Col. 4:2-6)
7. Walk in ever growing gratitude. May your gratitude fuel your worship of our Great God. (1Thess 5:18, Psalm 107:1)

Here are some thoughts concerning suggestion #1. I know, I know, you hear it all the time, READ YOUR BIBLE, but instead of hearing that through “guilt ridden” and “jaded” ears let this sit. God has something profound to say to you, and He has so much to show you. When we aren’t in the Word we are missing out.

So here’s a quick encouragement…

• Start small. If you feel intimated or insecure right now, just start reading small passages of Scripture.
• Get a good study Bible or study Bible APP that can help you better understand what you are reading.
• Trust the Holy Spirit to illuminate God’s Word to you. Don’t be afraid to actually pray and ask God to do just that.
• Share what you read with a friend, your spouse or someone in your life group. Sharing what you read will help you connect more with the Word, build healthy accountability, and build your relationships with those around you.
• Don’t make “finishing” the focus of your reading time, but focus instead on desiring to know God and being known by Him.

“Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.” 
Jeremiah 15:16

IGNITE 2015 FALL RETREAT

When planning this year’s fall retreat with the Ignite staff, one thing we were confident in was that God would be faithful. Looking back, it’s clear to me that He was.

Our annual Fall Retreat with our college ministry was held at Deerfield Beach, FL and while the views were great, the work God did that weekend was far greater.

Our college pastor, Adam Alexander, taught from Philippians, focusing in on chapter 1 verse 21, “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

This is a verse that many shy away from, but during the retreat we had the chance to look at the state of hearts and whether or not we could actually believe the words being said. Being in college, it’s hard for many to say that dying is truly a gain. But, as we dove deeper into the word, learned more about what heaven will be like, and rediscovered the great gift we have in Christ, God spoke. By the end of the weekend, five students were baptized and many more made a decision to set their eyes on things above, and not on things of this earth. Many came to believe– to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Now that we are back in school and getting in the swing of things, my hope is that what was learned over Fall Retreat is not left to be forgotten. As life picks up pace again, my prayer is that all of us would continue seeking the Lord and His plans for us. We cannot tuck this Good News away, but must set our direction towards Christ, proclaiming the good news that is Christ and the gift of eternal life.

- Christie Marks