Identity Crisis: What are you Reflecting?

Read: Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 8; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 Cor. 4:16; Ephesians 5:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:6

Today we are living in a day and age where more and more people are living with an identity crisis. They don’t know who they are. Common expressions of the day read: “find yourself” or “look within yourself” or “I don’t know who I am.” Hardly a week goes by that I don’t hear someone question their identity.

What is your identity? When you look into the mirror or pause long enough and look into your soul, who are you? Your true self, your personality, your sense of worth and purpose, these are what make up your identity. It is your true self, just being you and we would think that it would be easy just being yourself, right?

The Fatal Flaw

In the beginning, identity was handed down from our Creator and was never to be the subject of a search. He created us with His fingerprints all over us, His purpose and plan were clear and readily available. Yet our first parents, Adam and Eve, saw fit to look for their identity somewhere else. Instead of seeing their identity in their Creator, in His mission and purpose, they bought into the lie that rebellion would bring true life, true knowledge that would satisfy them.

The moment they ate the forbidden fruit everything changed. Instead of the free expression of their true self, their identity before their Creator, they found themselves questioning who they were, their standing before God and their very existence. Instead of openly walking in the garden and joyfully talking to their Creator, they hid themselves. They received knowledge, but it was damnable. They were separated from the One who created them.

This human condition has been passed to all of us. The reason we question our identity and live in fear each day is because we are sinners separated from the Author and Giver of Life. We are looking to the forbidden fruit for meaning and purpose and it continually skews our identity.

Our Plight

The search for identity is not imaginary and it is not something to be taken lightly. It is a constant battle for every human being. We are stuck in a rat race trying to find the answer to our questions. Not feeling like you belong anywhere, where nobody really knows you and you are afraid to let anyone inside of your heart is a fearful and lonely road.

You might think this is only a pursuit of unbelievers, but many believers in Jesus Christ struggle with their identity because they continue the search for something else to define them. Like the Peter was willing to have faith to step out of the boat onto the churning sea, but looked away from Jesus and began to sink. For a brief moment he experienced the fullest expression of his true identity standing on the water with Jesus, but the storms of life distracted him and he sank. Yet Jesus is faithful who saved him when he cried out for help.

The Scriptures tell us that the eyes of man are constantly searching and are never satisfied, it is a warning that when we are looking in our own wisdom we will never find the answers. Some are looking for their identity in their relationship with their parents, or their dad who is not even in the home. Some are looking to their boyfriend or girlfriend and the recent break up has destroyed them. Some are looking for their identity in their job, in their body image, in their sexuality, in the party scene, in their video games, in pornography, in academics, in sports, in popularity, etc. Each of these will leave you empty and unsatisfied.

The True Source

The Bible is very clear that Jesus Christ is the author and giver of life. He spoke the world into existence and formed Adam and Eve with His very hands. Psalm 139 tells us that everyone is “knit together” by Him. As our Creator He says He has created us with His image built in.

What is an image? As John Piper shared, so many will argue what precisely being made in the image of God means through the expressions of emotions, will, creativity, etc. However, no matter what the particulars mean the very essence of an image is to image something.

Being created in the image of God means we were created to reflect something, our Creator. Our identity is wired into the very DNA of our existence, we exist to bear the image of God. We exist to reflect God to others.

Passive Image Bearer

Followers of Jesus Christ believe that every human life has value and is important. Their value does not come from their wealth, their social status, their abilities or academic astuteness. Instead their value comes from the fact that they are image bearers of God.

This is why Christians fight against abortion, injustice, and slavery. This is why we seek to feed to homeless, care for the orphan and send missionaries. This is why we talk to our friends at school and pray for our families. Every human being is created in the image of God.

Unfortunately, do to sin they don’t realize this. Everyone has the innate sense that there is something more, but they don’t realize that is tied to the image God created in them. They bear this image passively because God created them with it.

Active Image Bearer

As followers of Jesus we should seek to actively live out our faith, to be Image Bearers to this lost and sin sick world. As reflections of the Light of Jesus Christ, we are to be a beacon to this dark world.

We continually seek to be more an more like Jesus by spending time in prayer, in the Bible and in communion with fellow believers. As we do this, the Holy Spirit works in and through us to shine the truth about Jesus to the world.

When your eyes are fixed on Jesus your true identity is known. You are a special creation of God, adopted into His family, forgiven of sins, and called to His mission. As a child of the One True King your identity is solidify and this changes everything.

Being an Image Bearer

Without Jesus Christ there is a constant search for meaning and identity. We will constantly search and try new things to give us an identity, but in Christ we find our true identity as an image bearer of God. This changes everything. Every relationship we have is redefined. Every job, passion, and enjoyment is colored anew.

Being an image bearer means we imitate Christ. When people look at us they should see Jesus. We should spend time in the Gospels, in the Bible and learn of the character and heart of God and live it out. Our attitude, speech, passions and character begin to change. As we remain in Christ we will become more and more aware of our identity in Him.

Again an image is created to image something. Your identity is what you are reflecting. What are you reflecting in your life? Is it a constantly changing image based on your search? Or are you reflecting Jesus to this lost and dying world?

Smoke and Mirrors

This week we are beginning a new seiries called "Blueprint" and looking at how God has created us on purpose. We will explore what that purpose is and how it impacts our daily life.

Read: Romans 1:18-20; Jeremiah 1:5; 29:11; Ephesians 2:10

It’s the moment you have been dreading since you started back to school. You walk into science class and the teacher begins to start talking about origins, specifically evolution. She creates a case for the Big Bang theory of the beginning and shows an overview of foundational principles that will establish the direction of everything you will learn in science class. You dreaded this moment because what she is teaching is inconsistent with what you have learned at church and read in your Bible. It’s awkward and confusing.

You have a strong desire to believe what the Bible says, but your teacher is very persuasive. She has demonstrated scientific “fact” over and over again that “proves” the earth is 3.5 billion years old and that all of nature has evolved from one source. She uses phrases like, “all the scientists agree that evolution is fact,” and “no intelligent person disputes the claims of evolution.” It’s intimidating to admit you don’t agree with all the scientists in the world. You believe you are intelligent but her claims are that its ignorant to disagree with evolution.

One of the biggest problems you have with evolution is the very fact that life becomes meaningless and purposeless if it is only here by chance. What makes your existence significant if you are just randomly popped into existence? Yet to disagree would be committing academic and social suicide.

The danger is that confusion will lead to compromise and compromise will lead to capitulation. Now you are confused and uncertain about what to believe, but seeking to fit in will only render you to, not only tolerating it but owning it.

That’s when your teacher makes a quick condescending statement concerning a group of people called “creationists.” She takes a few jabs at anyone who believes God exists and concludes with, “is anyone in here a creationist? Does anyone in here disagree with the established views of evolution?”

What are you supposed to do? What would you say?

The problem with the above scenario is that it misrepresents the argument. Your teacher has bought into lies and continues to teach them as fact. Skewed and twisted information is wrong, even when the majority believes them. Not only that, very specific lies are being told when it tries to represent the entirety of the scientific community in favor of evolution.

The Bible describes what is happening in Romans 1:18-20 when it states that sinful humanity desires to suppress the truth. It explains that mankind wants to live their lives the way they want to and therefore will do whatever they can to replace God’s truth with their own. The teaching of evolution is just a fancy trick to distract you, it is a magician’s smoke and mirror trick. They will overwhelm you with “facts” that cause you to miss the big picture.

The Big Picture

We are no accident. The earth, nature, animals and humanity did not just randomly appear, but were intentionally created. God had a purpose in mind when He spoke the world into existence. The Bible is the book that we can turn to in order to find the truth about the origins of life. Genesis 1-2 open with the beautiful truth that God spoke the world into existence in 6 days. They tell of God forming mankind out of the dirt and breathing life into him. They tell us that creation was “very good!”

The Bible also concludes in Revelation 21-22 with the New Creation that will be perfect. In between is the story of the plight of humanity, how our parents fell into sin in the garden. How we tried to work off our sin and keep failing. How God loved us enough to send Jesus to this earth to live a perfect life, die a sinless death and conquer death by rising again from the dead. How God, through the gift offered us a free gift of salvation through Jesus so we can be reconciled with Him.

What evolution doesn’t offer you is purpose and meaning. God gave us the Bible so we would know that the goodness of the original creation will be restored one day. That everything that exists, the universe, the earth, all of creation, exists for a reason. He created on purpose.

Genesis 1:26-27 tells us that He created mankind in His image, a very special part of creation. Not only in original creation, but every human that has ever been born was known and formed by Jesus (Psalm 139) for a purpose (Jeremiah 1:5).

The Bible has the answers for where we came from and why we have meaning and purpose in our life. Evolution has nothing of substance, just a bunch of conjecture and smoke and mirrors. What they don’t tell you is that it takes faith to believe that evolution is true, that matter has come about from nothing accidentally over billions of years. The Bible says you need to believe by faith that God spoke the world into existence with meaning and purpose.

The Decision

The simple truth is that confusion does exist because we live in a broken world tainted by sin. The choice is left for you to decide. What are you going to believe? Evolution cannot be proved or repeated. It makes a conjecture and builds a theory and claims to have facts, yet it is really a belief system, a religion.

God does exist and He wants you to know Him. He has written Himself on all of creation so you would know that He exists. Look up at the stars in the night sky, consider the beauty of flowers, the immensity of the ocean, the majesty of the mountains, perfection of the sunrise, you cannot help but be caught by the resplendent genius of the Creator.

King Solomon wrote that God has set eternity in our hearts, the innate knowledge that there is something beyond us. That something is God and He is wants you to know that you are not an accident, that the laws of science do not contradict His creation, and that there is a way to be reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ. Evolution will leave you empty. God will give you abundant life. What will you decide?

...To All The World

My first missions trip was both out of a desire to serve God and to see the world. I always wanted to visit Ireland and now I had the chance to go there and serve God! It was a win either way I looked at it. No big deal, other then the fact that I had only just turned 15 years old right before leaving on the trip for the entire summer. Oh and I had never been on a plane and had not even started High School yet.

My parents had prayed for years that their kids would serve God and when the opportunity came for me to go for an entire summer, they supported me. I’m sure a part of them just wanted me out of the house for the summer, just kidding. Looking back, I am so thankful for my parents heart for missions and how that was passed on to me and my siblings.

Missions is a term we use to talk about taking the Gospel to others people around the globe. From the very beginning, missions has been at the heart of the Church. We see many nations and languages represented in the conversions at Pentecost and shortly after we read all about Paul’s missionary endeavors across the known world. Most believers will recognize, at least intellectually, the importance of missions. But when it is costly we tend to shrink away. My parents did not.

Short term missions trips had a huge impact in my life. In Ireland I learned the importance of a daily quiet time with God. Christianity was a practiced religion to me up until that point, then I began to really understand the relationship with Jesus my parents told me about. I was so excited about Jesus I wanted others to know. Our trip was mainly a work trip, but I joined a group from our team on an evangelism outreach in Dublin. We didn’t see any converts, but I remember stumbling through a Gospel presentation with a few people. I had a lot to learn, but I was thankful for the opportunity.

A few years later I found myself in Trinidad with the same organization, Teen Missions International. I again signed up for a work trip, but there was an unusual amount of rain that year, so our leader declared, “Let’s go house to house!” Trinidad is a Caribbean island that’s main language is English, which made it very easy to talk to the islanders. I was really scared to talk to strangers and I allowed my insecurities to keep me from speaking up. I was the oldest member of this team and I was paired up with two of the youngest and quietest girls, yet I let them do all the talking. I know, real brave Brad!

All of a sudden I heard someone say, “I’ll talk at the next house!” I was looking around to see who said that, but when the girls declared, “alright Brad you can do this!” I realized it was me. I couldn’t believe it, but that’s what God wanted me to do. We met an 83 year old woman who was a Hindu her entire life. I showed her the Bible and walked her through the Romans Road to Salvation and at the end she accepted Jesus Christ! I was so excited I wanted to tell everyone! I rain to the next house and shared with them. That was the beginning of a summer that forever shaped my life.

I have so many stories I would love to tell, but my stories are not the point of this post. My parents understood that as Christians we have a responsibility to tell the World about Jesus and they passed that on to me. And it is this truth I want to pass on to my youth group and my church. I praise God for the opportunities that our church has taken to go to the World with the Gospel. I hope that more and more opportunities arise because I know personally how important those trips are.

Jesus did not say “For God so loved Akron” or “Ohio” or “America” or etc. He said He loves the “World”! It is our job to throughout this world and tell others about the amazing love of God. As John Piper puts it, as Bible believing Christians we are either going, sending or disobedient.

Some need to be goers! Have you ever considered world missions? Do you know that there are over 2.5 billion people in this world who have never heard about Jesus? Would you consider being one who would take the message to them? A goer is one who loves to tell people about Jesus. A goer is one who is willing to step out in faith and trust God to provide. A goer is one who fixes their eyes on the high calling of Jesus and not on the comforts of this world.

We don’t all have the means or opportunities to travel to foreign countries, so how can we fulfill this command? If you cannot go, then you must send others. You need to support believers who are going to the mission field. Through prayer and financial support you help the message go into all the world. A sender is not just one who works a job and gives money. A sender is a believer who is called to live on mission in her own community and support those who go abroad. Giving money should never be an excuse for not sharing your faith.

Unfortunately the vast majority of Christians live in disobedience. They show up to church, youth group and small groups, but they never tell anyone about Jesus. They may squeak out a “God loves you,” from time to time, not realizing that almost all world religions say that same thing. Their faith walk is dull and boring and they are scared to get out of their comfort zone. This is not what God has called His children to do.

Prayer is a vital part of missions. Let’s begin by praying that God gives us opportunities to share Jesus with others right where we live. Let’s begin to pray that God will send people to the world with the Gospel. Let’s consider adopting a foreign country by praying for that country regularly. Let’s pray for opportunities to go! Don’t get stuck in apathy, learn to be a goer or a sender by living on mission today!

Read: 

Acts 1:8; John 3:16; Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 10

Engaging the City

When I was 15 I had the opportunity to go to Ireland for the summer on a missions trip with Teen Missions International. It was an awesome growth experience and defining trip, but those stories are for next week when we talk about how to REPRESENT Christ to the World. I want to talk to you about what stood out to me when I came home from the trip. I left at the beginning of the summer, leaving family, friends and my familiar hometown. While I was gone, a lot of changes took place.

You know that feeling when you’ve been gone for a long time and your nearing your home. You begin to see the familiar and the excitement of getting home grows. I was getting close to home, a few exits away on the highway, when I noticed changes. It didn’t look familiar anymore. This wasn’t right. What was going on? Where are the familiar houses and trees? You see, there was a building project in my hometown that summer. An entire shopping center, including a Wal-Mart and Lowes moved in. It was so different, and I was conflicted on how I should feel about it. I wanted the old familiarity, but I was excited for the new opportunities.

On a much deeper level, when we come to Christ everything changes. When we look at the City in which we live we sense a struggle between the old familiar and the new. How we respond to this struggle will determine how well we REPRESENT Christ to the City.

Monastic Reaction

For some, their reaction to the struggle is to pull out and exit the old familiar. They want to avoid the temptations of the past and they identify the familiar with their life without Christ. They gather in a holy huddle with like-minded believers and begin to develop a new community based on their beliefs and skepticism of the old. The benefits are found in not having to deal with old temptations, at least not in the same form. Creating a bubble to overprotect each other and to build a refuge from the world.

The problem we find in this movement is that these believers lose any influence on the city. They become legalistic in their lifestyle and they lose touch with the surrounding communities. A self-righteous attitude, the “leaven of the Pharisees” that Jesus warned us about.

Licentious Reaction

Some run to the familiar and claim their freedom in Christ means they are to join the city in what’s going on. “Everything is permissible” and “I want to be authentic” become the mantra of these follower. They desire to be relevant and current with the city. The benefit is they have a lot of connections with unbelievers, they have a pulse on the city and they often are instrumental in justice movements.

The danger here is they have retreated so far back into the familiar that they look nothing like Jesus. The Light that is to Shine to the city has dimmed.

I had a friend once who bought into this lie. He and I were sitting at coffee shop discussing how we are to interact with nonbelievers in our sphere of influence.

Let me describe my friend for a moment. Both of us being graduates of Bible College, we were used to discussing theology and such. Upon graduation, I entered into the pastoral ministry. He continued on in a pursuit of philosophy and dead end jobs. He had recently moved in with a girl, whom he occasionally would sleep with. He also had girlfriend whom he was sleeping with too. His vocabulary had changed to resemble that of a sailor. His politics had evolved to match mainline liberalism.

Back to our conversation: I asked him if he ever shared Christ with his friends. His response was, “No that would be inauthentic!”

“Do you want your friends to know Christ?” I asked.

He replied with, “Yes, I do.”

“But you won’t bring Him up in conversation?”

“No,” he said, “that would be manipulating my friends.”

“So how do you expect them to know about Jesus?” I asked.

“They will see that I am different and ask me what makes me different, that’s when I can tell them about Jesus” he said.

“How are you different then them?”

The unfortunate truth is that this is not a isolated situation. Many have forgotten the path of righteousness and think they are “engaging” culture when in fact they are surrendering to culture. Only when we live in holiness does our lives give credibility to what we believer.

The Jeremiah 29 Principle

So if we are not to become legalistic monks, or licentious sell outs, what remains? In Jeremiah 29 we enter a conversation very similar to this one. Some were saying the Jewish exiles should just move into the city of Babylon and become Babylonians. Others were saying they should stay outside the city and make their own commune.

Let me paraphrase what God said. “You are going to be here for a while. Engage the city, but keep your spiritual distinctiveness. Seek to build up the city and your neighbors. As I bless you for your faithfulness to me, I will bless the city. Live among them and reflect my presence to them.”

The struggle between the old familiar and new life is a constant (see Romans 7). Instead of running away from the tension, or giving up, we need to live in the tension. We need to live in the reality that we have died to former things, we live in Christ and we proclaim to others this new life.

How can we do this?

In your schools, in your jobs, in your sporting teams, in your recreation, whatever you do seek to REPRESENT Christ. You will impact your city by being the best student, worker, athlete, musician, etc you can be. When you seek to honor Christ first in these areas you will see an impact for the Gospel. Your life can cause a ripple effect across the city. You do this in partnership with your local church and other Christians in your school and community. Keep the Gospel first and look for ways to share it.

When you work against injustice, don’t forget to proclaim the Gospel. When your feeding the homeless, share that in Christ they can have a home forever with Jesus. When you care for the orphan, share how in Christ they have a Heavenly Father who will never leave them. When you care for the abused, share that in Christ there is healing, fullness and purity that cannot be taken from them. In every hurting life the answer is Jesus Christ. Reaching one person for Jesus will impact the city.

Don’t run away. Don’t assimilate. Purposefully engage the city with your eyes fixed on Jesus and the Gospel on your lips. Stand firm in your faith and have open arms to your neighbors. If this sounds new or revolutionary, it’s not. It’s a message that is about 2,000 years old and was exemplified in the life of Jesus Christ. Spend some time in the Gospels and see how Jesus demonstrated how we are to engage the culture for the glory of God.

Strategy for Success

The bell rings and you hustle to homeroom. The day is beginning and you barely remember getting out of bed. Another day in a mundane routine where you feel like you are just another robot on the assembly line of school. Show up to class, do most of your homework, study, behave and go home, that’s all you got to do. Sure there are momentary highlights of hanging with friends over lunch or a couple of cool teachers, but in reality you feel trapped in a prison. The pressure to fit in, to wear the right clothes, to not say something stupid, or just not to stand out too much so you can make it through the halls without getting picked on.

The reality is that going to school is a battleground. Every day is a fight to survive. Yet this is barely surviving, it can be miserable most of the time. Nothing is worse then feeling like you are going through the motions. Nobody likes the status quo, although it doesn’t rustle any feathers. Barely surviving school is unacceptable. It is the result of living life without direction or purpose.

As believers we should never just survive, but we should thrive. We should live everyday on purpose. We don’t have to develop some new strategy, we just have to obey the one Jesus gave to us in His Word. Love God, care for people and communicate His message to the world!

Everyday you have the opportunity to walk onto your school campus on mission for the One true God. Your school is a mission field with hundreds of kids who do not know who Jesus Christ is. Why do we think it is okay to just show up and survive the day?

The Mission Field

The kid sitting next to you whom you think hates you is a jerk because he is hurting. His parents got in a fight a few weeks ago, his dad left and he doesn’t know if he is ever coming back. That girl is always seeking attention from boys because she is trying to mask the pain of abuse she received last year. That other kid who reeks of pot is trying to numb the pain of being unwanted by his parents. The girl wearing a long sleeved sweater on a 90 degree day to cover the scars from cutting because she just wants to feel something. Each of them is crying out to be noticed, to be loved to have a purpose.

This is what God has called you to do, take His love to the hurting. You are to REPRESENT Christ in your school. You are to live on mission everyday. You are the representative of hope these students who are hurting. What are you doing about it?

Do you want this year to be the most exciting and rewarding school year ever? Live on mission and REPRESENT Jesus every day! Do you want to find purpose in every day? REPRESENT! Do you want to encourage your teachers, administrators and coaches? REPRESENT! Do you want to see fellow students transformed for all eternity? REPRESENT!

WARNING: REPRESENTing is not for the faint of heart. It is the most exciting, thrilling and challenging way to live. Jesus said it is ABUNDANT LIFE! Yet it is costly. You could be made fun of. You could lose friends. You maybe thought of as unpopular. Or you could see your friends come to Christ. You could see that pothead in heaven one day. Whatever happens we can be assured that “the suffering of this present time cannot be compared to the glory to come!” (Romans 8:18).

What is your strategy to RERESENT?

Read: Acts 1:8; Romans 12:2; Matthew 5:16; 2 Peter 1:3-11

What's Your Reality?

Imagine with me for a moment that you were with the disciples of Jesus on the Mount of Olives to hear the last words of Jesus before He ascended to Heaven. Experiencing the horrific scene of seeing Jesus crucified, feeling the sheer terror of Hope being dead and buried, the jubilation of the Good News of His resurrection and now gathering together with fellow disciples on the Mount of Olives. What is this He is saying? “It is better for you that I go to be with the Father for I will send a Helper?” How can it be good for Him to leave us? Who is going to continue on the work that He started?

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth,” He says (Acts 1:8). We are to be His representative? Who am I to take on His mission? We don’t deserve to be His ambassadors, yet He gave us His Holy Spirit to empower us to be just that: His Representatives. And the book of Acts shares how those early disciples fulfilled His command in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and all over the world.

Yet the Mission lives on today! Acts 1:8 has a pattern for us to follow. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ then you are called to Represent! You are to live on mission and these next couple of weeks we will look at what it means to be on mission in your Jerusalem (Home), your Judea (School), your Samaria (City), and to the World. Jesus has called you to a mission and given you the power to fulfill it through the Holy Spirit. How are you living differently to engage your home, school, city and world with the Gospel?

What’s Your Reality?

Reality TV shows have been an allure to our culture for sometime. There is just something about seeing real people face situations, obstacles, challenges and relationships that appeals to us. We want “real” and “unscripted.” We want the “raw” lives of people on display. We want to see what we might do in that scenario. Some of the shows are good fun, clean challenges and audience engaging. More and more there are reality shows that should cause you to blush.

What would happen if then next great reality series premiering on prime time TV starred your family? The entire nation would sit back and watch as cameras were installed all throughout your house and they would observe the interaction of your family? What would they see?

Joshua, in the Old Testament, said “Choose you this day in whom you will serve, as for me and my house we will serve the Lord!” Is this what people would see in your house? Would your interaction with your parents be reflective of the peace of Christ of the adversity of Satan? Would you want people to see how you speak to your parents, the tone you use, the words you say? Would you want the world to know how you treat your siblings? How you do your chores? What would you be feeling knowing that people are looking into your daily interactions at home?

So let’s be honest, that just isn’t going to happen. However our home life does matter. Jesus wants you to live on mission even in your home. Some of you live in a home where everyone is a Christian, yet often your home life doesn’t really reflect it. Some of you live in a home where your parents or siblings are not believers and it takes all you have to even hold on to your faith. One thing we all hold in common is that it is very difficult to always be on mission in our home.

Maybe you never even thought of being on mission at home. Yet we are called to represent Christ in everything we do, in every relationship we are in and to everyone we meet. Representing Christ does not mean that we just spout off the Gospel to everyone and go on our merry way as if we fulfilled His command. Romans 12 has a lot to offer about what a true believer’s life should look like.  

No matter your home life, God wants you to be a light where you live. Learning to talk to others with compassion and love. Developing patience when things are not going your way. Speaking the truth in love, ever so careful of maintaining the relationship of the one you are speaking with.

Your home life is preparation for life. God has placed you in your home, with your family, in your situation to live on mission, to represent Him. He never promises it will be easy, but He says He has given you the Holy Spirit to be your strength. Learning to seek to “be Christ” to your family will help you live each day on mission for Him. When we fix our eyes on Jesus and live on mission in our homes, we will draw others to Christ.

You may not be on a reality TV show, but people come in and out of your home often. Do people come over and find your house a house of peace and comfort, or is it like walking into a battlefield? Seek to live in such away that your home becomes the oasis for your friends and family and a small picture of what heaven will be like.

Evaluate your own home life. How have you reflected Christ at home this week? How have you been a distraction from the Gospel in your own home? Who do you need to apologize to in your home to restore relationships?

The Good News of Jesus is that even when you mess up and you haven’t lived on mission at home, if you confess your sins to Him, He will forgive you! Start today, seek God’s help to live on mission in your home. You will be a blessing to God, a blessing to your parents, a blessing to your siblings and a testimony to the World of your love for Jesus!

What a Week!

Last week at Midwest Family Camp was an amazing week. It was filled with fun, community, challenging teaching and worship. I always love seeing first time attenders come to camp not sure what to expect and then see how God works in their lives. Camp is certainly one of the most exciting weeks of the year.

Our camp theme was “Abide: the grace of the Law.” We looked at the story of Exodus and how God delivered His people from slavery and gave them the 10 Commandments. During our class time we talked about the 10 Commandments using an excellent tool called The New City Catechism, an app for phones and tablets that helps ask 52 essential questions to the faith. We learned that God doesn’t simply want ritual obedience but He wants loving hearts that lead to obedience.

Teen sing was a highlight for many. It’s a teen worship service each night, led by teens. Some nights there were testimonies and the teens opened up their lives with each other, even leading to open confession and dealing with sins. The Holy Spirit led us in a very freeing, life-giving time. Wednesday night we had worship on the beach during a beautiful sunset! Very cool!

Even as I returned from camp with very fond memories and a thankful heart, I came home to the harsh reality of the fallen world that we live in. Many of you may already know or have heard that a young student at Revere High School was killed in a car accident on Sunday night. Katherine Babak was a member of Crosspoint Alliance’s youth group, a youth group we often partner with. Two of her friends and the other driver were seriously hurt and are in the hospital still.

Ryan Lawrence, the youth pastor at Crosspoint, called and asked me to help coordinate a prayer vigil. The last collaboration I had was at camp for a celebration service, and yesterday I spent the day preparing for a prayer vigil for the untimely death of a teenager. You’d be hard pressed to find a subject harder for youth pastors then the death of teens. Yet I am thankful for the community we have in the Akron youth pastors, where we know we have co-laborers who will come to our aid the moment we need it. I’d like to thank Jerry Smith at St Luke’s, Todd Shoemaker at Grace and Ryan at Crosspoint for your efforts yesterday and that will continue in the wake of this tragedy.

Led primarily by Ryan, we held a prayer vigil at Revere High School last night, the first prayer vigil on their campus in over 40 years. We were uncertain of how many would show up, but knew we wanted to provide the space and time for teens and families to come together, to grieve, to share and most importantly to hear the hope we have in the resurrected Lord. Thanks to the power of social media the word was spread and over 500 people showed up last night.

It was an amazing sight to see so many come, write notes of encouragement, prayers and memories for the families. So many wanted to write that our tables were overwhelmed and we had to usher people over to the service. At this point the news of this tragedy was still distant and surreal, until her parents arrived. Seeing them made their pain almost tangible. The devastating agony of having their child ripped from their life brought the reality that we were not just event planning, but creating a space for God to bring healing and hope to deep wounds.

The Babak’s both shared testimony of Katherine’s life and her faith in Jesus. Ryan shared the truth from the Word of God that Jesus conquered death so that we could overcome. Anyone who trusts in Christ will have the power over death one day and has the hope of the resurrection to look forward to. This is what Katherine believed, this is what the Bible says and this is what we must proclaim.

I kept thinking that I have nothing to offer, I have no words, I am inadequate to be there and counsel in this. Yet God reminded me that He understands her parents’ grief. He knows what it means to lose a child in a tragic way. He was there when His Son died on the cross for sinners. He saw His boy beaten, crucified and buried. That was real! God the Father agonized the loss of His Son. Though He knew the resurrection was coming, the event, the pain, the separation was real. He knows pain.

It is the very truth of the resurrection that will bring the healing to the family, to the community. Jesus conquered death! He promised a home for those who trust in Him, that He would come back for us and we will be with Him forever. This is the truth we have to offer. This is the hope to cling to during a tragedy.

The reality is that nothing we say today will alleviate the pain of separation right now. It will take time to heal. It will take friends, family, community and church to heal. Yet the truth of Chris is ultimately what will bring healing, comfort and hope. Thus we proclaim it. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16 ESV).