Truth

I had the privilege, along with Nathan Spell, to represent Christianity at the Klein's annual Religious Symposium and it was definitely a success. Last year was also great, but this year had a different element to it that set it apart.

Before the Symposium started Nathan and I spent some time in prayer and simply invited the Spirit to guide us in our words and actions. And surely as He tells us to ask, seek, and knock; God opened the door to many possibilities now that we had surrender ourselves to His purposes for the event.

Each religion had their own turn to explain what they believed. There were some great speakers who really described their faiths very well, but there was still something missing. I felt the Spirit tug on my heart and he guided me to a verse that showed Nathan and I the Truth. I felt the Spirit whisper to me that the religions they followed weren't enough. I knew that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. I knew he was the narrow path. Listening to my peers build the entire basis of their existence on the sand instead of the rock was hard.

My qualm is not with those who believe differently, but those who stop short of finding answers. It breaks my heart. I love you guys, and continually pray for you.

One of the questions that I took was something along these lines, "Can you follow the teachings of Christ and not believe in Him and still go to Heaven?" I answered, how can someone follow the teachings of Jesus without believing in Him? He proclaimed himself to be God, and you would call him a liar? After hearing reasonings and rationalizations in that room that seemed even to contradict themselves, I was pretty heartbroken. If you are going to put all your chips into one religious basket, then wouldn't investigates the incidences where it appears to contradict itself be worth it?

I have had my questions and  my share of doubts. We all do, no matter what we believe. I try my best to get answers and explanations. What if we stop short? What if we settle? I've seen to many people settle. Something in our culture has taught us to be passive. If something doesn't make sense, then we often ignore it.
These unanswered questions that seem to go against what we believe could lead us to more answers if only we would follow up on them.

That is why I so admire this one student that was willing to ask the most important question. She asked, "Why does religion matter?" That's the right place to start. Our answer came straight from the Word. John 10:10-18. To her, all these beliefs didn't seem to have a clear purpose. So why believe something that doesn't make sense? She took the first step on Friday and asked that question. I continue to pray that she would continue this journey. Because for all of us, if we seek the Truth in earnest, Jesus Christ will forever be the answer.

To those among the Way and those still searching,
-matt

It Is Well

Though life always seems to be going a thousand miles an hour, this is the great truth that holds everything together. Christ you are my everything. Thanks for putting my thoughts into words Sydney. Read her blog post here.

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These are the days that life is just going well. Where you really feel the true meaning behind what Spafford penned years ago. It's that realization of shalom, perfect peace. The battle is already won. Victory is here.

In Christ,
-matt

Weekly Scripture

Psalm 40

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

 ¹ I waited patiently for the LORD;
       he turned to me and heard my cry. ² He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
       out of the mud and mire;
       he set my feet on a rock
       and gave me a firm place to stand.
 ³ He put a new song in my mouth,
       a hymn of praise to our God.
       Many will see and fear
       and put their trust in the LORD.
 ⁴ Blessed is the man
       who makes the LORD his trust,
       who does not look to the proud,
       to those who turn aside to false gods.
 ⁵ Many, O LORD my God,
       are the wonders you have done.
       The things you planned for us
       no one can recount to you;
       were I to speak and tell of them,
       they would be too many to declare.
 ⁶ Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
       but my ears you have pierced;
       burnt offerings and sin offerings
       you did not require.
 ⁷ Then I said, "Here I am, I have come—
       it is written about me in the scroll.
 ⁸ I desire to do your will, O my God;
       your law is within my heart."
 ⁹ I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
       I do not seal my lips,
       as you know, O LORD.
 ¹⁰ I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
       I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
       I do not conceal your love and your truth
       from the great assembly.
 ¹¹ Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD;
       may your love and your truth always protect me.
 ¹² For troubles without number surround me;
       my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
       They are more than the hairs of my head,
       and my heart fails within me.
 ¹³ Be pleased, O LORD, to save me;
       O LORD, come quickly to help me.
 ¹⁴ May all who seek to take my life
       be put to shame and confusion;
       may all who desire my ruin
       be turned back in disgrace.
 ¹⁵ May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!"
       be appalled at their own shame.
 ¹⁶ But may all who seek you
       rejoice and be glad in you;
       may those who love your salvation always say,
       "The LORD be exalted!"
 ¹⁷ Yet I am poor and needy;
       may the Lord think of me.
       You are my help and my deliverer;
       O my God, do not delay.

Godbless,
-matt

The Cross

If you're looking for some REAL content, check out Mark Driscoll's sermon series on the cross.
Here's the link to the first one; .

check out http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/christ-on-the-cross for the rest
-matt

Reality Check: An Essay on Worship

I had the privilege of seeing Switchfoot live in concert last night, and man was it amazing! The band is incredibly talented and more than entertaining. As I looked around the room I saw people getting so into it. Jumping up and down, raising their hands, clapping, screaming the lyrics, you name it. I was among the many who were really enjoying the music. Several times during the concert, I found myself just closing my eyes and worshiping. As we sang about the wonderful love of God my soul was on fire. I felt the spirit move in me and remind me that we are creatures made to worship. And that really got me thinking.

Why is it that we can get absorbed in the music of a rock concert but be afraid of raising our hands during a worship service? Why do we dance our hearts out to the concerts and look so timid when the lyrics specifically turn to Jesus Christ or the Father? Is anyone else convicted by this????

As men and women created in the image of God, we are deliberately created to worship. We worship in the way we live. We lie to ourselves when we constrain the definition of worship to our Sunday morning services. Worship is so much more than that. When we give ourselves to something, we devote ourselves to it. That is all worship is, giving ourselves away to something else. We worship everything from video games, to ourselves, to sex, to facebook, to our girl friend/boy friend, etc. But we hesitate to worship God.

Who cares if someone judges us? Why do we become so desperately concerned about what people think of us when it comes to our relationship with Christ? We put up stained glass masquerades and only show people the side of us that they want to see. Too often as Christians we let people dictate how we act. We forget about the God that we claim to serve. Jesus Christ didn't care what other people thought. He always jacked with the social script, he upset all the religious leaders, he lived for God despite what the world told him to do. And that is the life we have been called to. As followers of Jesus Christ we aren't supposed to be passive, especially when it comes from the church. 

Many of us are afraid to raise our hands to praise God but we're fine with worshiping at a rock concert. I'm not saying you can't worship God at a concert. There is a huge difference between singing and raising your hands to good music or doing those actions unto God. If we are singing those praises to God, it is just as beautiful as a worship service. Our worship is a pleasant aroma to God.

Psalm 134:2 says we should "Lift up [our] hands in the sanctuary and praise God." Let's live out the Word of God. Don't be afraid of being judged. We worship to an audience of One; it is for Christ alone that we lift our hands and lift our voices. This Sunday when you are sitting in church, worship. Give every ounce you have to the Lord Almighty.

In His Hands,

-matt

Mine: An Essay on Our Treasures

Luke 18:18-22
A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone.

You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'"

"All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

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If you are reading this post right now, then you are most likely among the wealthiest people in the world. Almost half of the world lives on less than $2 a day. Pretty crazy isn't it? But wealth and possessions are not the most crucial fault that the rich young ruler is guilty of in this passage. The issue at hand is the heart of the rich man. He has followed all the rules, but I don't believe he has grasped "life to the fullest" as Jesus describes it in John 10:10. He doesn't really know what it means to be a devoted follower of Jesus.

Jesus teaches that as his followers we should live our life consumed by His Spirit. Christian literally means little Christ. To best describe this I'll use a metaphor. Our lives are like house. We have multiple rooms and doors. Each room contains its own segment of our lives. When we invite Christ into our life, we open up the front door of our house to him. But we don't open up all the other doors. We keep him locked our of back rooms, closets, and even enormous halls in the house of our life. Gradually we let Christ in to some of the smaller rooms, the rooms we value the least, but it can be a real challenge to give up our strongholds up to Christ. For the rich young ruler, his wealth was one of his rooms. He might have allowed Christ to enter all of the other rooms in his house, but not the one which was most important to him. The rich young ruler walked away from Christ because he wasn't willing to give up that room.

We do this too often to God. For me, I'll willingly let him enter the room which holds my money. I'll let him in to the room of my leadership abilities. But too often I keep him out of my "I can do it all" room. My room of pride often stays closed as well. To truly experience the life God has planned for me, I have to let him in to those rooms. For me, that means admitting only through Christ's strength can I do His works. I have to surrender my pride and give him all of the glory.

Do we really want to live for Christ? If so we must live fully, not half-heartedly. We all have rooms that we keep Christ out of. We tell Jesus that he can have our musical talents, but not our money. We tell him he can have our spring break for a mission trip, but he can't have our relationships. It's true for all of us, we just have different rooms locked away.

So what is your secret room? What part of your life are you hiding from God?

The rich young ruler walks away from Christ and we don't see him again in scripture. I don't know about you, but I want to live for Christ, and that require opening those hidden doors in our lives. It isn't easy by any stretch of the imagination. But I will tell you this: It's worth it.

-matt

By Their Fruit

Galatians 5:22-23
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control..."

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I got this idea from a friend in a similar note. I decided to change it up a bit and relate it to spiritual aspects of people who have surrounded me in my life.


Who has taught you the most about love?
-Jeremy Wagner, I love you bro. You've really shown me the true meaning of love. The English language doesn't do it justice at all. Through your influence in my life I have seen what the love of Christ really is. Love is a brother who challenges you. Love is a brother who rebukes you. Love is the friend who is always there to encourage you. Love is intercession on another's behalf. Love is serving those who cannot return the gift. Love is sacrifice. All of this and more I have seen in your life. You have changed me and my walk with the Lord severely. I'm glad God had us collide last summer. You're the mentor that I needed to not only realize my potential but continue growing closer to achieving it.

Who has taught you the most about joy?
-Hollis Harris, I gotta give this to you. The way you life your life is inspiring. Whatever you do you do with passion and joy. Your art is fantastic, and you glorify God through your work. Even when you are frustrated, I see a hope inside of you that is thankful for the day that God has given you. Your always the optimist to my doubtfulness. I see the Spirit working in you with the way you live your life. I'm blessed to have the opportunity to do life with you. 1 Thes. 5:16.

Who has taught you the most about peace?
-Alex Phillips, we haven't had the chance to hang out much ...yet, but you have already been a firm pillar of faith in my life. I've had my share of struggle and hard times, and you have been ready to encourage me through them. For you, its all about Jesus. This world might give us the short end of the stick more often than not, but God's eternal victory gives our souls peace. You love the book of Psalms which is full of cries for God peace to come to this broken world. We've both gone through a lot alone, but someday we will experience that true shalom together. God never lets go of us. I look forward to really pursuing him together next year as Aggies. To all that is to come, thank you for all that has already transpired. Isaiah 32:17.

Who has taught you the most about patience?
-Eric Hill, I owe you a lot more than I understand right now. Throughout this entire process of transforming a student ministry, you've played a major part in transforming my life. Patience is something I've always struggled with but through your example and ceaseless encouragement I have seen Christ's perfect timing in my own life. Even when I don't understand what's going on, or wish things hadn't turned out the way they had, I am encouraged to know that God works all things for good as you always remind me. It's not about me. By the time everything gets to that certain point I will be long gone. Initially that was hard for me. Patience is coming, slowly but surely. This patience has drastically strengthened my faith and I am forever grateful. Col. 1:10-12.

Who has taught you the most about kindness?
-Stephanie Davis, your example of a servant leader is extraordinary. The heart you have to care for those in need is truly from Christ himself. Through TMAD and miscellaneous Faithbridge activities I have seen your heart for the world around you grow and grow. It is one thing to be an example of a servant leader, but another thing to have that passion of service run through your soul. When compassion is talked about in the Scriptures it always evokes movement. You go out to the world and bring the light of Christ to the last and the lost. Many times people mistakenly place evangelism as the greatest work a Christian can do for the lost, but by your example of love the world is changing. I'm blessed to have the opportunity to work alongside of you in Faithbridge and our trip to Baja this summer. Thank you so much. Matthew 9:36.

Who has taught you the most about goodness?
-Allie Drain, I see you live your life with a purpose. You live it for the kingdom day in and day out. Even during the harder days, you are there for your friends. As sinners in this imperfect world, we won't ever obtain the goodness of Christ. That perfect state of rightness in the world is beyond our grasp on this side of eternity. But through lives like yours I take hope. The truest part of your soul desires God's best for everyone. You yearn for a world as it should be. You live your life as if it is not your own. You're timely encouragement is always a blessing and your example of a Christ filled life will always challenge me. Romans 12:1.

Who has taught you the most about faithfulness?
-Nathan Spell, I have to thank you for this. You've always been an example for me in this regard. We've know each other for a long time. We've both made countless mistakes, but throughout it all you always draw back to Christ as your rock. It's clear that you have built your foundation on him and not the sand. You're willing to admit just how undeserving you are of the grace that the Father affords to us. A spirit of humility can and will be used by God. Thank you for your example in my life brother. Psalm 27:17.


Who has taught you the most about gentleness?
-Paul Thomas, you really are the gentle giant. You command respect with your presence alone, but your intimidating person is always followed by the Love of Christ. Jesus gave you power and you certainly use both the physical and spiritual strength he has give you. But it is your love for the smaller things that leads me to admire you. With all you are committed to you still stay involved in my small life. You helped the student ministry begin a drastic transformation. You use the resources you have to make a difference. You make everyone around you matter. I forever appreciative of all you have poured into my life and continue to teach me. Strong but loving. Your gentle heart continues to challenge me as I grow in Christ day in and day out. Matthew 11:29.

Who has taught you the most about self control?
-Stephen Pankratz, I don't understand how you do it sometimes but you manage to balance competitiveness with holy living in a phenomenal way. I've known you for quite a while and I admire the steadfast heart you have for Christ. You want to make life fun, because Jesus wants it that way. You always can turn the conversation right to my heart in seconds. You live your life in such a way that Christ is reflected in everything you do. You keep him at the core of your purpose day in and day out, and you always push me to pursue Him with fervor. I've seen you continue to grow and claim the boldness that Christ promised you in His Word. Keep chasing and keep pushing me. You are a true man of Christ Stephen. 2 Tim. 1:7

There are so many more of you who have shaped my life, and to you I extend my heartfelt thanks. God sees your aid in my life and will reward you in Heaven. Lets keep running the race! Acts 20:24.

Weekly Scripture

Luke 11:11-13.

"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

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God has given us the best gift of all, the Holy Spirit. How are we showing our gratitude for what the Father has given us? Are we quieting the Spirit or allowing it to work in and through our lives? Are we really living for Him?

-matt

Fair-Weather Faith

It's easy to follow God in the good times isn't it? It's hard to stick with Him in the hard times. Too often we'd rather become fair-weather fans as it relates to our walk with Christ. God promises that He has a plan for our future, we would just rather He listened to what we wanted the plan to be. Faith isn't faith if it only endures during the easy times. Failure more often than not shows us more about ourselves than success. Christ promises us life abundantly. We just have to believe. God's plan is the best for us. Check out this video to see what I mean. Can't we glorify our Creator in both the good and the bad?

-matt

Weekly Scripture

1 Thes. 5:14-19

And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire.

Godbless,
-matt

Weekly Scripture

Ephesians 3:20-21

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

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Don't put God in a box. He can and does do more than our limited minds. Just trust him. He is faithful. Pray big.
-matt