Check out this article from Penn State’s Steve Lutz on the ‘Purpose and Process of Discipleship’
http://stevelutz.wordpress.com/2010/05/06/the-purpose-and-process-of-discipleship/
Ravi Zacharias explains why we should take the Bible as completely revelant and true.
An interesting take and presentation on our generation’s place in the social media movement. How can we use this to our advantage as brothers and sisters in Christ reaching out to a lost world?
Francis Chan message on the Joy of Suffering
The Millennial Christian Generation might be sitting in toughest position in history to reach their very own generation for Christ. The shifts in technology, tolerance, post-modernism, etc. have made things tough for this generation to break through to their peers. I have gone to the advertising industry to see how they are attracting customers. One company and icon that I can not get past is Progressive Insurance and Flo, their awkward and perky salesgirl. This series will take traits and qualities of Flo and relate them to the mission of engaging and reaching the Millennial Generation. This series is not claiming Progressive to be right or Christian but rather pointing out traits and tools that are attractive and can help in reaching others for God’s Kingdom in these hard times. Enjoy the following series of: Lessons from Flo
Lesson 1: Joyful and in Love with Identity and Purpose in Jesus
When engaging within your campus, community, etc., one thing everyone will notice whether you want them to or not: Do you truly love who you are and find true happiness in it? When you live your life, share your faith, or even hang out with your Christian and non-Christian friends, why would anyone want to live for what you live for if it seems like it is an obligation instead of true love. Flo truly is happy and in love with selling insurance and connecting with people. Therefore, people, in and out of the commercials are drawn to her. Because of her attitude, people want what she has. In our case, if we show love and joy in our relationship with God, people will be more inclined to be interested in our Heavenly Father.
Philippians 3:1 “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16 “Be joyful always;”
The following passage serves as an anthem to the fact that we are not compelled out of obligation but rather out of our love for Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:11-21 “11Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. 13If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
How does this affect us on our campuses? One thing that will happen when we take this lesson of finding joy in our identity in Christ and being in love with our purpose of bringing glory to God is that we will gain confidence in our mission and lose our spirit of timidity.
Let’s take a humorous example from LL Cool J on how being timid ruins even the best opportunities to shine.
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.”
Take this first lesson from Flo and live with joy, love, and confidence as you engage with your generation on your campuses. Let your relationship and identity in Christ become contagious. Staying in Scripture and prayer is one way to start in redefining and resparking your love life. Staying in the promises, commandments, and in conversation with the Love of our life, our Heavenly Father, should be something we do boldly and with much joy. Amen.
Psalm 16:5-11 : “5 LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
you have made my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the grave, [a]
nor will you let your Holy One [b] see decay.
11 You have made [c] known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand”
Through my studies at the Focus on the Family Leadership Institute and my personal research, I have discovered many interesting things in regards to the idea of a Christian worldview.Dr. James Dobson put it simply, “Either God is, or God isn’t.” Wow. Arthur Holmes gives us 5 reasons for a worldview: “We need to unify thought and life experience, define the good life and find hope and meaning, guide current thought, guide actions, and deal with our diverse culture.” Taking these guidelines and applying them to the Christian mind and worldview, one truly can develop a solid stance and lens to view the world through as a Christian. I also found some scripture in reference to attributes of the Christian mind and how we can transform it towards a Christian worldview. The Christian mind is renewed (Romans 12:1). The Christian mind is pure (Philippians 4:8; 1 Peter 1:22). The Christian mind is humble (Romans 12:3). The Christian mind is ready (Acts 17:11). The Christian mind is convinced (Matthew 22:37; Romans 8:38-39). I think that through this , I discovered all of these attributes of a Christian worldview and a Christian mind to be true. Yet, we are not there. According to a survey in 2004 taken by the Barna Research Group, “Citing the findings from a just-completed national survey of 2033 adults, only 4% of adults have a biblical worldview as the basis of decision-making.”I believe that our generation is on the brink of shifting its worldview though. I honestly believe that we think and know in our minds that “God is”. Now, we must separate the sacred and the secular and start seeing the world through the eyes of Christ. My prayer is that this Christian generation continues to believe that “God is” but strives to act upon that belief in order to change our view of the struggling world through the eyes of our Lord.
Just a quick clip (also check out it out at stevelutz.wordpress.com) concerning the idea of the missional church. How are you approaching church and the goal of reaching your friends, your campus, and the world?
Tomorrow marks the one year mark of arriving in Colorado Springs for the Focus Leadership Institute. A semester that truly changed my life forever. It is a semester focused towards 20 to 26 year old students and graduates who want to come learn and interact in an environment that is outside of the normal trend. Check out the following description from their webpage and check it out! The link is at the bottom of this page and will also be in the resource section of the Resources/Act Now/ Promotions page. God bless!
“The Focus Leadership Institute is a one-semester journey of study through the hows and whys of the Christian faith. Student leaders from both Christian and non-religious universities come to explore a unique academic approach to leadership in the areas of marriage, family, church, society and comparative worldviews. Assumptions are challenged. Hands-on learning cements new ideas gleaned from primary sources. Top-notch teaching flows seamlessly into intentional community as staff and students share life together, working out in practical ways what it means to live every aspect of one’s life to the glory of God alone. Quick Facts: FLI offers three academic semesters per year. The fall semester runs from early September through mid-December. The spring semester runs from mid-January through late April. The summer semester runs from early June through late July. Each student participating in the fall and spring program takes five courses: Christian Worldview Studies; Family, Church and Society Studies; Marriage and Family Life Studies; Gender and Leadership Studies and a Professional Practicum. Each student participating in the summer program takes two courses: Cultural Issues in Christian Perspective and Family Issues in Christian Perspective. Because of the Institute’s emphasis on Christian community, each student participating in the program lives in FLI-provided housing. A variety of community-building opportunities are provided each week. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Students may apply up to one year in advance of the semester they wish to attend. Interested? Apply now.” http://focusleadership.org/
